While the world now acknowledges the evils of pollution, it is not uncommon to find people flinging garbage onto streets and other public places even today. Even the presence of available alternative methods of disposal do not seem to deter these individuals, who will ignore sanitary workers, available bins and more to scatter rubbish onto the closest available surface.
But where common sense fails, punitive action or indeed any sort of retaliation can evoke a response. And the Kakinada Municipal Corporation in Andhra Pradesh has taken an unique approach to the problem. In a recently posted video, Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, the Commissioner of KMC, explains that the corporation has started a new "return gift" initiative. More than 900 sanitary workers have been deployed in the area to travel door to door and collect segregated waste. Those who ignore this, in favour of littering on roads and in drains will now have their garbage given back to them. In a later phase, the Commissioner warns, waste might not be collected altogether from these problematic households.
"Appealing to all the citizen's to consider this 'Return Gift' initiative positively to show gratitude to the sanitary workers and other fellow citizens who are cooperating with the Corporation," a second post adds.
And while this might seem like a unlikely threat, the KMC was back with footage a day later to show that it meant business. Sharing a short clip that shows an individual leaving a pile of waste at the side of the road, it once again reiterated its instructions.
