Think twice before you throw your waste on city streets. Someone must be clicking your picture and uploading it to an app, which may spell trouble for you.
Once caught, you may end up paying a hefty fine besides being publicly shamed.
The civic authorities of Kochi are planning to introduce an app that would help the general public click pictures of those who dump waste on city roads and bring it to the attention of authorities.
The app, which has been developed by a Thiruvananthapuram-based start-up, will also help the public upload pictures of piled up waste in the city. The proposal to introduce the app, which was cleared by the Health Standing Committee of the civic body, will come up for the consideration of the corporation council on Thursday. The pictures of offenders could even be uploaded to the website of the corporation.
The app, which could be freely downloaded from the Play Store, will also give the user information on waste collection centres and the date and time in which non-degradable waste is collected.
Once a user uploads the pictures, the chairperson of the Health Standing Committee and the Health Officer of the civic body will receive alerts. They will monitor the progress of rectification works including the removal of waste. The user, who uploads pictures or sends alerts to the civic body, will also be provided feedback, said V.K. Minimol, former chairperson of the Health Standing Committee.
Though Ms. Minimol had stepped down from the post last week, it was during her tenure as the chairperson that the proposal was considered by the Health Committee.