In a bid to dissuade members of the public from urinating in the open, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has pulled out yet another trick from up its sleeve.
The 'Laathi seeti' campaign, which translates to stick and whistle, arms several GHMC sanitation workers with the two objects, so that they can halt people from urinating in the open.
On the inaugural day of the campaign, several sanitation workers began doing the rounds from early in the morning, stopping several people.
As part of the campaign, the workers would also point people to the closest toilet, and ask people not to defile public places.
“Not only do we stop them from urinating in public, we also politely show them the way to the available public toilets,” G Anjaneyulu, sanitary inspector, Rajendranagar circle, told ToI.
In Rajendranagar Circle, a GHMC sanitation worker was manhandled because he was trying to stop a cab driver who was urinating in open area.
Following this, a case has been registered against the driver under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
A GHMC Swachh Worker was manhandled because he was stopping a cab driver who was urinating in open area.A case has been registered against driver under IPC section 323.@SwachhBharatGov
— Swachh RajendraNagar (@swachhhyd) December 28, 2017
@MoHUA_India @sushilrTOI @SwachhBharatApp @swachhindia @CleanupTN #MyCleanIndia pic.twitter.com/WwHA5WU3sn
Attention all Chichas, Kakas, Annas, Bhaiyas, & .........||
— Swachh RajendraNagar (@swachhhyd) December 28, 2017
Swachh Workers may catch you If you have a habit of urinating in open area.@GHMCOnline #Hyderabad launched "Lathi Seeti" campaign for prevention of urination in public. @paramiyer_ @sushilrTOI #MyCleanIndia pic.twitter.com/xYOf55Xlw4
This is not the first time that the GHMC has adopted a unique initiative, to prevent people from urinating in the open.
In January this year, a new initiative of 'Gandhigiri' was taken up by the GHMC staff, as they garlanded the people who were found urinating in the open and not making use of the civic urinals.
GHMC Circle-8 officials conducted special drives at the bus stops near Koti, Sultan Bazaar, Chaderghat and Putlibowli, and caught a total of seven men.
While some of the men who were caught did not take the action too positively, others who tried to urinate in the same area ran away on seeing the staff with garlands in their hands.
According to the GHMC Act, officials can impose a fine of upto Rs 200 for open defecation or open urination.
Last year, the civic body had imposed penalty on 19,260 persons.