An initiative by the Local Self-Governments department to provide cash rewards to citizens providing reliable information about those involved in illegal waste dumping in open spaces seems to be yielding results.
Local bodies across the State received 394 tip-offs from alert citizens since the launch of the project in June this year. The corporations, municipalities and panchayats imposed penalties on violators in 315 cases. The initiative contributed about ₹27.2 lakh to the State exchequer through fines, according to official estimates by the Suchitwa Mission.
The move to involve the public in the efforts to curb the menace of illegal dumping in public and private spaces and waterbodies was part of the ‘Waste-free Kerala’ campaign of the department. A government order issued on June 6, 2023 asked local bodies to either provide 25% of the penalty imposed on the violators or a maximum of ₹2,500 to those who share photos and videos of the illegal act.
The local bodies released around ₹66,450 as cash rewards to those who provided information on illegal waste dumping. The money was handed over in nearly 33 cases, as per official data. The process of releasing the cash reward in the remaining cases is under various stages, according to the officials of the department.
The persons providing the tip-off have to submit documentary evidence, including registration number of the vehicle used for waste dumping and the date and time of the offence. Local bodies have to publish an Email id and WhatsApp number for the public to report violations. The identity of those sharing the information will be kept confidential. The secretaries have to take action against violators within a week of getting the photographic/video evidence, according to the order.
