Fine for dirtying urban areas likely soon: Venkaiah Naidu

Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the Centre is considering imposing penalties on those spreading dirt in urban areas as part of measures to make Swachchh Bharat Mission a success. He said the government is considering a three-point strategy for success of the cleanliness drive.

“There is a three-point strategy for this mission — first, to create infrastructure; second, change the mindset; and third, at end of the day we need to consider imposing penalties in urban areas once the entire infrastructure is created,” he said. This comes months after the environment ministry, in its overhauled waste management rules, hinted at the possibility of levying fines for littering.

Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on scaling up citizens’ participation to a jan andolan in Swachchh Bharat Mission, Mr Naidu said: “The Swachchh Bharat Mission is now becoming a jan andolan (people’s movement), but not fully. The change of mindset is fast taking place in the country. People are supporting the Prime Minister’s initiative.” He said the Centre is working to find new ways and means to reach out to the people. Represen-tatives of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and several foreign countries participated in the workshop.

The mission is being implemented by the urban development and drinking water and sanitation ministries.