Six-month jail for littering in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The civic bodies of Delhi recently planned to make littering in public and allowing mosquitoes breeding in households a criminal offence with appropriate jail terms. This move has come up after the Delhi High Court instructed the municipal bodies to increase the penalty for littering in public places as the amount of fine was inadequate and asked the centre and state government to consider amending the law in this regard. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has already issued orders and the two other agencies will follow suit, officials have warned. Municipal magistrates will keep a check on violators and ensure they are prosecuted. Those caught trashing the city will risk a maximum jail term of six months for such an offence. According to MCD officials, the existing penalty on violating sanitation bye-laws is too weak to deter people and so it was decided to slap criminal charges on them. The imprisonment would vary from one month to six months depending on the severity of the violation.