BENGALURU: Some Bengalureans are doing everything they can to make the coffers of the city corporation swell. Solid waste mis-management and going about un-masked has fetched Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike lakhs of rupees in penalties in the past few months. BBMP data shows marshals and health workers collected fines amounting to a whopping Rs 2,35,01,693.50 from September 2019 till December 3, 2020.
Of this, the sum collected for unscientific waste disposal alone is Rs 1,70,66,510.70. Records also show that BBMP collected huge penalties for unscientific disposal of solid waste and littering in September and November, at Rs 12,66,425.81 and Rs 11,37,483.59 respectively. Interestingly, in May (complete lockdown) and June 2020 (partial lockdown), BBMP collected Rs 15,45,142.99 and Rs 16,40,395.68 as penalty for the same offence.
People using plastic that did not meet standards fetched the Palike a total of Rs 55,02,708 since September 2019 and those spitting in public spaces paid a total of Rs 20,950. The corporation also collected Rs 27,500 for the same period from people caught urinating in public.
In August 2020, the highest number of cases were found to be in South Bengaluru (9,229), from where Rs 24,29,485.97 was collected as penalty. Similarly in September 2020, BBMP collected Rs 22,55,289.84 from West Bengaluru by penalising 9,341 offenders. In October 2020, 13,413 people in West Bengaluru were fined a total of Rs 39,69,716.62, and in November 2020, 12,727 people were fined a total of Rs 36,15,464.30.
An official said the money collected is a huge amount which will be used for solid waste management, including setting up more decentralised processing units, for transportation challenges and even wages.
The official remarked sarcastically, “If citizens continue to contribute in this way, we will not have to call for tenders or partner with any one to make ends meet. The penalty amounts will suffice.”
However, the official pointed out that most of the penalty collected is from commercial establishments such as restaurants, hotels, eateries and food joints, which dump mixed waste. Penalties have also been collected by patrolling marshals, when they see citizens littering on roads and creating black spots. During the lockdown, most black spots were cleared, but now they have re-emerged every where.