Karnataka clears law to fix garbage disposal system

The Karnataka Assembly Thursday amended the law to fix the crumbling garbage collection and disposal system in cities like Bangalore.

The Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill,2013,aims to do away with random dumping of waste on streets and put in place a scientific system of garbage collection and disposal. It empowers civic authorities to ensure that citizens separate various kinds of garbage and contractors dispose it in a segregated manner. Households would be fined Rs 100 for not segregating garbage the first time and Rs 500 for a repeat offence; bulk waste generators would be fined Rs 500 the first time and Rs 1,000 for a subsequent offence.

The unamended law provided for fines of Rs 10 to Rs 20 for failing to dump waste at designated sites.

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The bill also proposes fines for littering,spitting,urinating in public places and for dumping building waste on streets,and empowers civic authorities to remove unauthorised cable lines,including fibre optic cables,from the streets.

The bill follows up on the solid waste management plan launched in October last year in the wake of of the crisis in Bangalore,where garbage piled up after contractors refused to accept new contracts that mandated them to collect and dispose waste in a segregated manner.

The plan came a cropper as the onus of segregation was put entirely on citizens after contractors refused to participate in the process of segregation of solid and wet waste before disposal. The plan also failed because there was no over-riding law to enforce it.

The bill is the second major legislative change brought by the Congress government which assumed power in May.

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