KOCHI: If you are a ‘nasty Kochiite’ who dumps household garbage on the roadside under the cover of night, do not be surprised if you are caught red-handed tonight.Starting Thursday, three special squads of health officials will patrol the streets of Kochi every night to nab those who dump garbage in public places. The squads formed by the corporation consist of two health inspectors, four junior health inspectors and two corporation labourers each. They will patrol the city roads from 8 pm to 5 am every night. Those who dump waste in public areas will be fined or taken to the police or both, depending on the seriousness of the issue. “It has been noticed that most of the time, public disposal of waste happens at pre-dawn hours or during the night time. Hence, we have formed two squads for East Kochi and one for West Kochi to look out for those who dispose of waste in public places, including roadsides,” said T K Ashraf, chairman, Health Standing Committee. He added that the squads would also nab those who dispose of septic waste in public water bodies. “The minimum fine for public waste disposal is Rs 2,000,” said B Sasikumar, Health Inspector, Kochi Corporation. “If the waste disposal happens at a larger scale, ie. , using a vehicle, the vehicle will be seized and handed over to the police. The defaulter can get back the vehicle only after paying a larger fine. The penalty will be decided by the corporation secretary after reviewing the seriousness of the particular violation,” he added. “There have been increasing number of cases alleging that some of the panchayats on the outskirts of the city dispose of their garbage in the neighbouring panchayats or within the corporation limits. This is highly unacceptable. When such cases are noticed, the defaulters will be heavily fined and a case will also be registered with the police,” Ashraf said.
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