Minister for BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar has warned that heavy fines would be imposed from October 6 for littering in public places in Karimnagar town.

Launching the ‘Nenu saitham – Naa nagaram kosam’ (I am also for the cause of my clean city) at the Collectorate auditorium by releasing posters on Monday, the Minister said a special sanitation drive would be under way till October 5 in the town. After that, the municipal authorities would impose heavy fines on litterbugs, he cautioned.

“When the Collector and Commissioner of Police and other district officials, who hail from different places, are participating in shramdaan as part of the 30-day village development programme, why can’t people born and bought up in this very town take responsibility of keeping their surroundings clean,” he asked, adding that a 2K run would be conducted on Tuesday to create awareness about the importance of sanitation and cleanliness.

Mr. Kamalakar also appealed to the traders and shoppers to avoid encroachments of footpaths and pavements in the town and asked roadside vendors to sell their goods only at the allocated places.

On the occasion, the Minister donated his last legislator salary of ₹2 lakh to the ‘Nenu saitham...’ programme. Similarly, the contractor association members also donated ₹2 lakh for the special sanitation drive.

Collector Sarfaraz Ahmad said that they were taking all measures for shifting of the garbage dumpyard from the shores of LMD reservoir to another location to check pollution in the town. Commissioner of Police V.B. Kamalasan Reddy said the police had already declared police stations and headquarters as plastic-free.

Zilla Parishad chairperson K. Vijaya, MLC Naradasu Laxman Rao, former MLC T. Santosh Kumar, Municipal Commissioner G. Venugopal Reddy and deputy commissioner Swaroopa Rani were also present on the occasion.