Beware from today Chennai is turning the Singapore way, littering at public places is an offense and would attract a penalty of Rs 500. The Chennai Corporation authorities justify their fine by asserting that they realized that a fine of Rs 100 was not enough to dissuade people from disposing waste on the city's streets. "The fine should pinch, so the offender does not litter again. This hike will ensure that happens," an official lamented.

Earlier the Chennai Corporation Commissioner D Karthikeyan said, "We will pass a council resolution on Tuesday and take it forward from there," The corporation has also decided to hike the fine for dumping construction debris on public roads from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000.

Chennai Corporation seems to be influenced by the Singapore litter-free initiative. However the Corporation has only put a penalty of Rs 500, unlike in Singapore, where the fine is about three hundred dollars; about thirteen thousand Indian rupees. In a similar initiative in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation collected over Rs 2 Cr in fines for spitting in just six months.

Most of the international travellors who lament that India will never be like the global places, repeat the littering act the moment they land in the Indian airports. But this initiative will keep us on toes and alert, provided it is implemented with dicipline. More wonderful cities across the nation will implement such initiatives to make our country a litter-free zone. (With inputs from internet-AarKay)