480 challaned for throwing waste into Sidhwan Canal in Ludhiana
The civic body had started imposing a penalty of ₹5,000 on the violators after its public awareness drive to curb the dumping of waste into the water body fell on deaf ears
Coming down heavily on those dumping waste in Sidhwan canal, the municipal corporation has issued a total of 480 challans against the violators since the beginning of the drive in January.
The civic body had started imposing a penalty of ₹5,000 on the violators after its public awareness drive to curb the dumping of waste into the water body fell on deaf ears.
Out of 480 challans that were issued, as many as 382 have been paid. The MC has collected ₹19 lakh from the fines, as per the official data.
Since the start of the drive, over 1,500 people who came to throw waste into the water body have been caught.
MC employees responsible for patrolling along the canals said that surprisingly, a majority of the residents, who were caught throwing garbage, household items and material prescribed by astrologers were from the educated class.
They said that elaborate data regarding the vehicles used and the gender of the violators has been compiled. They said that even as the water flow in the canal has been stopped since April 1, items dumped during the early hours were found in the canal.
The workers said that loads of garbage, including polythenes and photo albums, were found on the canal bed during the cleaning of the canal. They said that most of the violators were caught near Gill Chowk, Dugri, and Pakhowal.
Jasdev Singh Sekhon, zonal commissioner (Zone D), said that the frequency of the violations has come down in recent days as only one challan was issued on Monday. He said that the result of the joint efforts by locals and administration has changed the canal.
He said that fearing the challans, people have started going out of the MC limits to throw items into the canal, including religious offerings. He added that to keep up with the progress, the awareness campaign will be intensified in the coming days.
On March 16, the MC organised a meeting with astrologers and members of different temple committees to suggest alternative ways for their clients to dispose of religious items and keep the water body clean.
In January, the MC also started the project to install chain-linked iron fencing (2-meter height) along the 13 km stretch of the canal within the city limits to stop residents from dumping waste into the canal.
