Crack the whip on litterbugs to ensure cleanliness

Major responsibility for minimising littering on roads and roadsides in the city lies on the Municipal Corporation. The corporation has employed sweepers and sanitary inspectors for the purpose and they should work diligently. Sweepers must remove the litter regularly and sanitary inspectors must keep a watch that the work is done on time. The corporation must punish the defaulters for lapse in the duty. The employees concerned must make sure that litter is removed timely as this may become a reason for spreading of diseases, especially during the rainy season. Also, there is a need to create awareness among public. The MC should also launch launch awareness programmes in schools and colleges to educate students about the importance of cleanliness. Such awareness events can also be arranged in various colonies across the city.

Dr G Dev

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Set up a nodal agency

Cleanliness is an important aspect of a healthy society. We can keep dreaming about a disease-free nation, but nothing is achievable without citizens’ efforts to keep their surroundings clean. Garbage littered in streets, on roads and in vacant plots is a common scenario. Sometimes it becomes difficult for commuters to even use roads due to heaps of garbage. To get rid of the problem, citizens should actively participate with the MC in maintaining cleanliness. The government should set up an agency to monitor and punish those who violate the rules. The corporation should fix places where garbage could be dropped. Residents must lend their support and assist the authorities in solving the problem of garbage.

Farzana Khan

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Area-wise division of responsibility needed

The city should be divided into various areas and responsibility of the department concerned should be fixed area wise. Workers of a particular area should maintain cleanliness and should be held answerable. Workers of any area who ensure maximum cleanliness should be rewarded in monetary and non-monetary terms. Every month, the names of the cleanest and dirtiest area should be announced. Dustbins should be installed in every nook and corner of the city. Garbage should be picked up every morning and disposed of by cleaning workers.

Ekroop Kaur

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Create awareness

Throwing wrappers of whatever is consumed in cars is a common habit. When everyone wants a easy way out, who will be responsible for taking care of the environment? We are good at pointing fingers at others, but no one wants to take responsibility for his/ her own deeds. We should stop littering around and keep our surrounding neat and clean. Residents should be gathered and told about the importance of keeping our surroundings clean.

Sandeep Singh Virk

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Impose penalties

Littering on roads and roadside, making environment unsafe for humans and animals, is a county-wide problem. Animals tend to eat the garbage and their health can be damaged seriously. So we have to come up with ideas to minimise the problem. The authorities should place dustbins on every road and the police should fine those found indulging in activities that harm the environment. Also, the government should work for the welfare of citizens and organise cleanliness drives.

Pooja Goswami

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Shared responsibility

Very obvious and common aspect for cleaning any city is installing dustbin. However, the dustbins are of no use if residents don’t develop a habit to throw garbage into them. It is necessary to create awareness regarding cleanliness of the city. Therefore, not only is the government responsible for maintaining cleanliness, citizens are also accountable.

Nikhil Nagpal, Model Gram Extension

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Install dustbins

We call ourselves educated, but never shy away from throwing wrappers of edibles out of our car windows. We never even hesitate from littering on roads and roadsides. There should be sufficient number of dustbins on roadsides and the MC should make sure that these dustbins are emptied daily. It is one of the main reasons of increasing litter in the city. Nowadays, with the increasing technology, compact dustbins are available which could be fitted at the back of driver/conductor seats of cars. The young brigade should be taught about the importance of cleanliness on roads through seminars, debates and declamation in schools and colleges. The NSS volunteers from colleges can be assigned duties of lifting the litter alongside roads. The MC sweepers should be pulled up to lift the garbage on a daily basis. Even some NGOs can be roped in to volunteer the cleanliness drives occasionally. Above all, till the citizens do not bring about a change in their thinking, nothing can happen practically.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi

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Make littering an offence

Throwing garbage on roadsides should be declared as a crime as it costs the Municipal Corporations millions of rupees annually for cleaning up the mess. Above all, it portrays a bad picture of the area. Frequently littered stuff is fast food packaging, cigarette butts, used drink bottles, chewing gum, etc. Deliberately throwing items from vehicles is a common practice in India. Littering can contain objects — needles, blades or broken glass — which can be harm or cause physical injury to people. It can facilitate spreading of diseases and environment pollution. Littering also affects the local tourism. There should be strict laws against the practice which stipulate that dumping is a serious offence and punishable by serving a jail term and fines. Community programmes and groups should be created with the aim of running anti-litter campaigns to raise awareness. “Stop littering signs” should be installed on roadsides. Enough garbage bins should be placed in various areas of the city for effective garbage disposal. Above all, it is the collective responsibility of citizens and the Municipal Corporation to keep the city clean and green.

Dr Jasdeep Kaur

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Litter bags in vehicles

Before keeping the roads and roadsides clean, a person should first learn to keep the house clean. A litter bag should be carried in vehicles so that commuters don't throw garbage out of car windows.

Ishita Sharma

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Impose fine

Though littering on roads is subjected to a fine by the MC, but the public and the MC employees are unaware of it. Hence, it is never implemented and people habitually throw paper and plastic waste on roads. This causes clogging of drains, spoils the environment and causes health hazards. Moreover, most of the public places, roads and markets do not have garbage bins and wherever they are, they are overflowing and emptied after days. Even during functions on the roads, the organisers seldom arrange for adequate bins. To avoid littering, all of us should carry a bag and throw the waste in it.

Dr Ashwani K Malhotra

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Develop preventive strategies

Littering on roads and roadsides has become a serious environmental issue as a majority of people have an unacceptable habit of throwing trash. That’s why, million tones of litter is being collected each year from roads and roadsides. No one bothers to understand that polluting the atmosphere is our responsibility. Apparently, city residents are unaware about the importance of keeping environment clean. We should understand that to keep our roads and roadsides tidy, we all have to play an active role. No doubt, the local authorities are responsible for picking litter, debris removal and providing and emptying bins on roads, but we should also understand that litter does not only reflect badly on our community but comes at a terrible cost with a far-reaching impact environmentally, economically and socially. We must support the local authorities and organisations by disposing of waste appropriately. The authorities also need to constantly monitor road users and impose appropriate action against violators. Need of the hour is to place more bins along every road, which should be emptied regularly. It is important to recognise litter problem is avoidable, but education, enforcement, engagement, policy and legislation all have to play a role together. Initiatives to reduce littering must be focused on two strategies — preventative strategies (signs, community involvement and design) and consequence strategies (rewards and punishments).

RAVI CHANDER GARG

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Plan proper waste management

The government should deal with the problem on a priority basis. Strict laws should be made and imposed for proper waste disposal. Firstly, proper waste management should be planned and proper bins should be placed for collection of different type of garbage. Moreover, residents should be educated in this regard. Secondly, residents should do their duty by not littering the garbage on roads. The government should impose penalties on offenders. CCTV's should be installed at public places. Waste should be used for different purposes such as creating manure.

Amarpreet Singh

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Healthy habits should be developed

We are a careless, carefree society and tend to think that the Municipal Corporation will do everything. We shirk our responsibility. People who are caught throwing trash on roads must be fined but before that, we need enough dustbins for disposal on roads. We often eat street food and throw the leftovers on road. All street food vendors must be asked to keep a trash bin. Discipline is must to ensure cleanliness.

Major Gurdeep S Samra

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Proper rules and regulations

The government should make proper rules and regulations related to the disposal of garbage. There are various steps which can be taken so that littering is minimised. Citizens should report about litterbug and the administration should make sure that trash cans have tight fitting lids so that they don’t emanate foul smell. Those capable should adopt backward regions of their locality and get them cleaned. One can just adopt a road or highway with the help of neighbors and friends and ensure cleanliness. These little contributions lead to the country’s development. One should be a part of these small practices.

LAVEENA SHARMA

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Carry a bag while travelling

Littering on roads and roadsides can be minimised by educating residents about keeping their environment clean and green. Throwing garbage on roads leads to several hazardous consequences such as accidents, collision with animals as litter attracts animals. We must always carry a bag while traveling so that we can put waste products and wrappers in it. Children must be educated at school and college level. Some people have tendency to spit on roads. Special fines must be imposed on them. Dustbins must be kept on roads at appropriate distances by the Municipal Corporation so that we can make full use of them.

Ritu Priya

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Ensure regular garbage collection in area

Garbage seen lying on roads gives the city a shabby look and improper lifting of garbage has left the city residents a harried lot. Sweepers appointed by the Municipal Corporation must be put to work regularly to ensure cleanliness of roads. Secondly, areas where garbage is collected on a temporary basis must be checked and garbage must be transported on a daily basis. Thirdly, we as the residents should not litter on roads and make our city dirty. We must carry a spare poly bag to keep the waste or wrappers of eatables. Furthermore, stringent laws and vigilant checking can be done to check the throwing of garbage and littering on main roads and inappropriate places.

Sanskriti Verma

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OPEN HOUSE COMMENT

Littering should invite harsh penalty

Minna Zutshi

Roadside littering is almost a norm in Ludhiana that prides itself as being the industrial hub of north India. It is common to find trash of every conceivable kind on the roadsides. Littering should invite a harsh penalty, so that the penalty acts as a deterrent. More importantly, it is imperative to start a public movement that makes it incumbent upon each and every city resident to work towards a "clean and green Ludhiana city". Educational institutions should impress upon youngsters that they are the harbingers of change and that the change towards a cleaner and greener Ludhiana is to be initiated by them!

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