The government is preparing to bring a new law making waste management at source the responsibility of the people. Violators of the rule will have to pay a fine ranging from Rs.1000 to Rs.10000. Throwing garbage in public places or water sources will attract a fine of up to five thousand rupees. The government is moving to make Kerala the cleanest state in the country by making the law regarding waste management more stringent. The purity of the intention is to be commended but doubts remain as to how the target will be achieved when the local bodies have not yet been able to put in place any suitable scientific plans for waste management.

Whenever a problem related to waste management arises the authorities only deliberate about the fines that can be imposed. There are many examples where heavy fines may reduce violations to a small extent, but cannot completely eliminate them. Even when waste management is made the responsibility of the people, how can we not see the complacency of the local institutions that should be at the forefront of this effort? Isn't it their responsibility to put in place impeccable systems for waste collection and scientific treatment? Apart from holding seminars and discussions about it for many years, what positive steps have been taken? People throw garbage in public places and water bodies because there are no options to treat the waste. If the authorities ensure systems for garbage collection, no one will dare to do such anti-social acts.

If waste management is to proceed without interruption, treatment plants are also essential. People's opposition is said to be the reason for not coming up with processing plants. People will have faith only if we establish and operate waste treatment plants that do not cause any harm to the residents and the land and there is good reason for that. This is because Vilappilsala in Thiruvananthapuram, Brahmapuram in Kochi and Njeliyanparambu in Kozhikode have already given bad experiences to the people. The government and local bodies are shirking their responsibilities and putting it on the people. First of all, they must correct the perception that increasing the fine will fix all problems. Fines are increasing everywhere day by day. Such administrative measures are based on the false assumption that increased fines will make violations go away. Violations of the law will also be reduced if the authorities ensure that they do what they are supposed to do without fail. However, here everything is done unilaterally. What is the status of Thiruvananthapuram, which has maintained its reputation as a clean city for a long time? Garbage mounds have reached even the premises of the administrative centre. Side roads have become waste collection points. They stay there for weeks without being removed. Who should be penalized for such lapses?