Five persons found spitting on the public roads of Wayanad’s Sulthan Bathery on Saturday have been fined by the municipality officials and the police. Three shopkeepers selling paan have also been fined.
The fines were levied after the municipality authorities decided to implement section 341 of the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994 – committing nuisance in public streets.
“The decision to implement the rule was taken at a municipal council meeting held in the first week of January,” says municipality chairman TL Sabu. “The town is one of the cleanest you can find in the state. Sanitation workers work from 3 am to 6 am to clean the streets and a tractor takes the garbage to the trenching ground dump three kilometers away from the town. But despite the efforts taken to keep the place clean, we found that there would be spittle on the roads, at the bus stops and all. That’s how we decided to implement this rule.”
Before the implementation, the municipality tied up with the police to spread the message on the street and on social media. “We made the announcement following which there was a social media campaign to spread the message. Notices were given out by the municipality. Kudumbashree workers did a ward level campaign. A cleanliness pledge was taken by students of government-aided schools. Trade unions also got involved in the campaign. It is after 15 days of campaign that the rule was implemented,” Sabu says.
Students take cleanliness pledge at a government-aided school
There are 15 shops selling paan in the town and all of these were warned ahead of the implementation. “We told them that they should sell paan in parcels and ask their customers to take it away with them, not let them stand there and chew and spit it on the road in front of them. If a person spits out the paan 50 metres around the shop we’d fine the shopkeeper as well.”
Those fined by the municipality will need to pay a fine of Rs 510. The ones booked by the police would be referred to the court, says Sulthan Bathery Police Station House Officer MD Sunil. “Three petty cases have been charged and referred to the court. The court would decide on the fine,” confirms the SHO.