The Akhilesh Yadav government is set to bring in a legislation envisaging spot fines for those littering the streets or public places. Provisions are also oin the anvil to impose a 'user fee' for waste- generators like households and markets. The fees would be paid to the Nagar Nigam for waste collection.
A senior official told 'The Pioneer' in lucknow on Wednesday that the new legislation would be an extension of existing 'Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016' announced by the Union government.
“The rules emphasize on keeping the cities clean. No one would be allowed to spit or litter the roads. The waste generators – both domestic and institutional – will have to pay user fee to local authorities that collect garbage. The quantum of user fees and spot fines will have to be decided by local bodies," ,” the official explained.
The lucknow Nagar Nigam has already ordered penalty for people spitting or peeing in public places. Mayor of lucknow, Dinesh Sharma said that Nagar Nigam has already taken a vow to keep the city clean. “The state government has woken up a little late,” he said.
The rules say that street food vendors, housing societies, organisers of political rallies and even weddings should take adequate steps for appropriate disposal of wastes they generate. No person should throw, burn or bury solid waste generated by him on streets, open public spaces, in the drain or water bodies.
The rules require manufacturers or brand owners of diapers and sanitary napkins to provide pouches or wrappers for disposal of such products and to educate the public about wrapping used diapers or napkins before disposing them.
The new rules call upon state Urban Development departments to identify suitable sites for recycling and disposal of waste. They also nudge the states to ensure that housing, commercial and institutional areas exceeding 5,000 square metres earmark a spot within their premises for segregation and storage of solid waste.
Incidentally, some of these rules already exist but are seldom enforced. One of the clauses of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, says segregation of waste into bio-degradable and non-biodegradable content. This project was started in lucknow almost three years back as a pilot project in which segregated waste was collected but slowly it died a natural death.
Under the JNNURM, a solid waste disposal project was launched in 23 districts of UP. In 2011, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had even declared Kanpur as the first district in waste disposal and awarded Rs 3 lakh to the Kanpur Nagar Nigam. But, that project too witnessed an untimely demise.
“Rules are fine but it needs to be implemented in letter and spirit. In UP, nine out of 10 people spit on the roads or six out of 10 throw sachet of masala on the sidewalks. Can anyone ask them to dispose these sachets in dustbins,” said Dr SP Pandey of Pt Govind Ballabh Institute of Studies in Rural Development.
“It is a huge challenge for the district and local authorities to implement the rules. There is a law banning smoking at public places but one can see people puffing away in public places, bus stands and railway stations. How many of these offenders have been fined or arrested,” he questioned.