Now, on-the-spot challans for littering, dumping of garbage

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 24

Now, sanitary inspectors of the Municipal Corporation Amritsar (MCA) will be able to issue on-the-spot challans for dumping garbage and those who litter.

Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu and officials of the MC provided hand-held machines to issue challans on Tuesday. Mayor Karmajit Singh Rintu said as per the bylaws, chief sanitary inspectors and sanitary inspectors of the health wing are authorised to issue challans for littering and dumping garbage in the market. With the handheld point of sale machine (PoS), now the employees of the health wing would issues challans to keep the city neat and clean.

“Amritsar is a holy city with thousands of devotees visiting it daily. Visitors feel bad when they see streets littered with garbage. They return disappointed. Moreover, residents face inconvenience due to garbage and always pose a risk to an outbreak of diseases,” the Mayor said.

Earlier, the health wing used to issue challans to residents, which they have to pay at the local court. It was a time-consuming task and the MC was unable to collect good revenue from it. Now, the MC has initiated zone-wise Citizen Facilitation Centres. The MC General House amended the municipal bylaws and specified the amount of penalty for littering.

Mayor Karmajit Singh said a local bank had provided them hand-held machines to issue on-the-spot challans. “It would not only save the public’s time but also increase the revenue of the MC,” said the Mayor. The MC has decided to initiate awareness drives before issuing challans. The Mayor has urged the residents to cooperate with the MC employees to keep the city neat and clean.