By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On Tuesday, the special squad of the city Corporation caught Sunil Kumar, who resides on the city’s outskirts, dumping waste near Manmohan Bungalow in Vellayambalam. Corporation officials say it’s not an isolated incident. Cracking down on offenders, the Corporation has collected more than Rs 1 lakh from within the city limits in June alone. The fine was collected from people caught discarding waste in public spaces, water bodies, drainage and other open locations. Showing blatant disregard for the measures being taken by the Corporation, incidents of waste dumping in public spaces are showing an upward trend. Kumar tried to dump waste near the ‘Kariyilapetti’ placed by the Corporation to collect dry leaves. The offender was charged with a fine of Rs 25,500. While the fine was paid and he was let off with a warning, it brings to light the bigger issue of waste dumping in the open, especially at night. Corporation officials said the number of waste dumping incidents has come down of late. “Earlier, the fine used to be as high as Rs 3 lakh per month. After we implemented the septage collection licence, the number of people dumping waste after bringing them in vans has gone down,” said an official. “We have two squads working at night to ensure people do not get away with dumping waste in public spaces. While one comprises only Corporation staff, the second squad involves the police. In cases where the waste is thrown into the water, the health officer can decide the amount to be charged as fine,” said the official. Last week, a person was caught and his truck was seized while dumping waste in an empty plot in Karamana. Ironically, he was dumping waste collected from the Secretariat.

Stay updated with all the Latest Thiruvananthapuram headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.