Garbage rules to be followed strictly

Chennai: Do you know you could be fined heavily if you do not segregate your domestic garbage as degradable and non-degradable waste before handing it over to the civic body for disposal? And the civic body should also be fined heftily if it fails to implement the segregation rule, and even the state government must pay a fine if it slips.

“We are supposed to segregate our domestic garbage in three containers, coloured green for degradable, paper bag for plastics, bottles and other recyclables and red for non-biodegradable (such as medical waste, sanitary napkin).

This is mandated in the Municipal Solid Waste Rules of 2016. However, this rule is not followed and mixed garbage gets dumped all over the city, posing serious health and environmental issues”, rued Justice P.Jyothimani, member, National Green Tribunal. He was speaking at a well-attended meeting with the theme, 'Clean the Mind; Green the Earth', organised by the Brahma Kumaris on Sunday to mark the World Environment Day (June 5).

According to him, all the stakeholders from the generator of waste to the civic body and right up to the government are held accountable for safe disposal of the solid waste. “In fact, if the rules are properly followed in letter and spirit, there will not be any need for garbage dump yards, of which we have many in Chennai and elsewhere. There is an elaborate system prescribed to ensure that every bit of waste is treated, recycled and converted to wealth, such as manure”, said Justice Jyothimani, former judge of the Madras High Court.

He said while the neighbouring states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have already notified the rules and started the process of implementation, there appears to be some delay in Tamil Nadu though it's now more than one year since the rules were framed. “The state government should frame the rules in local languages and thereafter undertake an elaborate sensitisation programme to create wide public awareness. There is huge budget available from the PM's Swatch Bharat”, Justice Jyothimani told Deccan Chronicle.

Chennai Corporation, under the instructions of its Commissioner D Karthikeyan, has recently sent a notification that all the 15 zones should ensure waste segregation by June 30. “17 percent of the waste generated in their jurisdiction should be segregated by June 30,” corporation officials ordered the zonal officials.