Karwar: Deputy Commissioner K. Lakshmi Priya has issued a strict directive to all urban local bodies in the district to impose maximum fines and register police cases against those dumping waste in public places and along national highways.
Presiding over a district-level task force committee meeting on solid and liquid waste management and plastic control at the DC’s office on Wednesday, she instructed officials to install CCTV cameras at identified black spots in urban areas and ensure continuous monitoring by municipal staff to catch offenders. She emphasized that violators should not only be fined heavily but also have police cases filed against them for defacing public places. Additionally, all urban local bodies must submit progress reports on the cases registered and fines collected.
She warned that if waste is found along national highways, action will be taken against the concerned urban local body officials. The DC pointed out that local residents, rather than tourists, are responsible for most of the waste accumulation along highways, urging officials to investigate this matter. She also instructed authorities to check CCTV footage from nearby houses and commercial establishments to identify and take action against those dumping waste. Moreover, she urged the public to report such incidents to their respective urban local bodies to help maintain cleanliness in their towns.
The DC stressed the need for systematic collection of wet and dry waste, proper segregation, and conversion of waste into a revenue-generating resource. She directed officials to prioritize compost production from wet waste and ensure that dry waste is processed and sold. Additionally, she encouraged public participation in disposing of wet waste at household levels.
Regarding e-waste management, the DC instructed officials to raise awareness, conduct a campaign, and submit a report on the collected e-waste by the end of the month. She emphasized the strict enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic in the district, directing urban local bodies and the Pollution Control Board to conduct frequent raids. Public awareness campaigns and exhibitions showcasing alternatives to single-use plastics should be organized across the district for shopkeepers and residents, she added.
She also called for a more coordinated approach to medical waste management and ordered that the district-level task force committee meeting on solid and liquid waste management and plastic control be held every three months to ensure that the district becomes completely waste-free.
The meeting was attended by Senior Civil Judge and District Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Justice Divyashree C.M., Additional Deputy Commissioner Sajid Mulla, Zilla Panchayat Deputy Secretary (Administration) Nagesh Raikar, District Environmental Officer B.K. Santosh, and commissioners and chief officers of urban local bodies in the district