By Jimil Shah
The city might finally witness a change in its lethargic routine; clean-up marshals may now be fined if public places are found dirty.
Cleanliness has always been one of the most rudimentary topics for environmental science textbooks and the favorite topic for students to prepare posters and short films on. The reason? Because lack of it is abundantly visible (sweet irony)!
The Story So Far:
Homes, schools, hospitals, commercial offices etc. have started paying more and more attention to the utter need for cleanliness.
When it comes to public places, Mumbaikars tend to overlook it most of the time.
Since strict enforcement by government and Anushka Sharma against littering, spitting, and throwing garbage on the road, there has also been a strict awareness about garbage disposal in the city. What’s more? Citizens are actually charged fines if found spreading garbage in public places.
However, even with all that said and done, garbage is still found in the middle of the road, overflowing out of drainage systems and flooding this massive city.
In this entire cycle of garbage production and disposal, only one class of people remain unmonitored – the clean-up marshals.
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Even after implementing of strict routines and awareness among the common residents of the city, clean-up marshals often neglect their duty due to reasons unknown.
What Has Been Proposed?
Clean-up personnel have been given the authority to fine people caught spitting, littering or defecating in public places; but at present, there is no system that ensures that these personnel have been doing their jobs effectively.
There have also been cases where the personnel were found guilty of extorting money from people, or resorting to violent approaches when it came to dealing with the offender.
As reported on the 21st of August, 2018 in the Times City, the BMC plans to penalize clean-up marshals if the public places they’re monitoring, are not clean.
I feel this is a strong decision taken by the BMC since it might make the clean-up personnel more responsible, and it gives us the reassurance that someone would be held responsible if their assigned jobs were not completed.
However, this shouldn’t mean that we increase the workload of these personnel by intentionally disposing of garbage in public places and should lend a hand too.
Common people and tourists should be made aware of the fine that is to be paid. They should also strictly ask the personnel to hand them receipts of the exact same amount, if and when they are fined.
Societies should also be fined if proper segregation of waste is not done on their end.
Working together, we might find a solution that suits all of the parties involved in handling the enormous amount of waste that is generated in the city and stop viral cases of flu and diseases from spreading.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Times Of India, Indian Express, Hindustan Times + more
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