Five shopkeepers fined for dumping waste on road in Erode

Five shopkeepers fined for dumping waste on road in Erode

Five shopkeepers, who dumped municipal solid waste on the road, were fined ₹2,700 by the Erode Corporation officials on Saturday.

According to a release from the civic body, officials found waste dumped in public areas in Manikoondu, Periyavalasu, and Manickampalayam, all located in Zone Two, and levied fines totalling ₹2,700 on the shopkeepers.

The civic body added that such inspections and imposition of penalties would continue across all wards. The local body urged residents and commercial establishments to cooperate in maintaining cleanliness and public health.

The official release said there were a total of 1,69,912 residential properties and 27,386 commercial establishments across all 60 wards under the Corporation’s jurisdiction where biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste were collected separately from households every day using 122 light commercial vehicle (LCV) trucks.

Additionally, separate vehicles were deployed from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily to collect biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste from commercial establishments. Approximately 60 tonnes of biodegradable waste collected each day was converted into compost at 22 micro-composting centres and was distributed free of cost to farmers.

However, some shops and residents in commercial areas continued to dump waste in public places and into stormwater drains instead of handing it over to conservancy workers. This practice led to blockages in the drainage system, posing a threat to public hygiene and health.

In accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and under the instructions of the Corporation Commissioner (in-charge) and Deputy Commissioner K. Dhanalakshmi, penalties were imposed on those who disposed of waste in public spaces, the release added.