THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soon, organisers of public events, functions or gatherings with more than 100 attendees will have to obtain prior permission from local self-government (LSG) institutions and pay a fee for handling the waste generated at the events.
The state government, on Wednesday, gave nod to two ordinances to strengthen the waste management rules of panchayat and municipalities. The ordinances, which hike fines and punishment for violations, are aimed at giving more teeth to enforcement activities of local bodies.
LSG Minister M B Rajesh said organisers of any event will have to inform the respective local bodies three days in advance and pay the fee fixed by them for handling the waste generated.
As per the new ordinance, those refusing to pay the user fee for waste management services will be penalised and the amount will be collected along with a fine with taxes. It empowers LSGs to deny services to people who refuse to comply with with the norms and decline to pay user fee.
Campaign focusing on enforcement activities: Min
The ordinance proposes imposing hefty fines on polluters and giving tax waivers and more amenities for residents living near waste treatment plants. An amount ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 and imprisonment up to one year will be imposed on violators who pollute waterbodies. A spot fine of up to Rs 5,000 will be imposed on violators who dump waste in public. Waste generators who do not manage garbage as per norms will be fined Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000.
The amendment in the waste management rules have been introduced as part of the ‘Malinya Muktha Nava Keralam’ campaign, which aims at making the state garbage free by March 2024. Rajesh said the campaign, which is in the second phase, is focusing on enforcement activities. The local bodies have been tasked with enforcement activities against bulk waste generators this month, he said.
He said 422 out of the 1,200 local bodies in the state have attained 90% door-to-door waste collection, while 298 LSGs could achieve 75%-90%. He said after the launch of the campaign, around 3,000 new members were recruited to Haritha Karma Sena. Currently, 33,378 Haritha Karma Sena members are engaged in waste collection activities.
The minister said local bodies can give exemption to poor families and handle their waste free of cost. The local bodies can give this exemption to a maximum of 10% of the population in their jurisdiction.
Since the launch of the project, the LSG department’s enforcement squad has registered 4,223 cases for various violations under solid waste management rules 2016. An amount of Rs 2.48 crore has been imposed as fine, and of this, around Rs 50 lakh have been collected, the minister said. He said the amount raised through enforcement activities will be used for strengthening and improving the existing waste management systems.