Bengaluru : The BBMP collected has Rs 3.70 lakh in fines from people dumping garbage in public places since September 1.

In order to crack down on people throwing waste in public places, the Palike has deployed marshals in 174 of its wards. This comes days after the government’s strong stand against single-use plastic. Retired Colonel Rajbeer Singh, Chairman, Karnataka Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association (KSWA), said: “In the first phase of the initiative, we have deployed marshals in 174 wards. Marshals will be appointed in the remaining wards in the next phase. In 12 days, we have collected Rs 3.70 lakh from the public as fine for littering trash in public places,” he said.

In October 2018, the government ordered the BBMP to appoint 240 marshals to prevent people from littering in public places. The BBMP will spend Rs 8.46 crore as part of salary and uniform to marshals every year.

Marshals monitor the attendance and duty of sanitation workers and garbage tippers and submit daily reports to the BBMP.