The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Panchayati Raj Act to have more teeth

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 11, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Panchayati Raj Act to have more teeth

N.J. Nair

Punitive provisions for eco-pollution

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to check pollution of water resources and dumping of refuse in public places, the Local Self-Government Department has decided to amend the Panchayati Raj and Municipal Acts and arm them with stringent punitive provisions.

Department sources told The Hindu that the amendments would add provisions to the Acts for awarding a minimum of six months rigorous imprisonment and a fine depending on the gravity of the offences. The amendments would empower the local self-government institutions to play a pivotal role in preventing the outbreak of communicable diseases, encroachment on river banks, illegal sand mining and also in complementing the sanitation drive being launched by the Government.

The secretaries of panchayats, municipalities and corporations would have to take the lead to file police complaints against those violating the rules so that the offenders could be brought to book without delay. The increasing incidence of epidemics prompted the department to take effective measures to prevent the dumping of waste in both urban and rural areas.

Coordinated work

The department would also seek the cooperation of the Police, Revenue and Health departments to maintain a strict vigil against unloading refuse in open places, lakes and rivers and other public places at night. Civic chiefs had brought to the notice of the department instances of institutions and individuals routing sewerage connections to rivers and lakes.

The amendments were expected to give powers to the civic bodies to initiate stern action against factories, private hospitals and hotels that use the water bodies to dispose of their waste, the sources said. Considering the outbreak of diseases like chikungunya, the department also decided to streamline the cleaning and refuse management mechanisms in the rural and urban areas. As a preliminary step, it was decided that the Health Sanitation Mission be merged with the Clean Kerala Mission.

This would help to improve refuse management, create an awareness among the public about sanitation and facilitate better coordination of the activities being taken up by various branches of the department and civic bodies.

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