In a strong move against public littering, the Alanahalli police in Mysuru have registered an FIR against an unidentified individual who dumped garbage on the roadside, ignoring a plea from a Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) worker to refrain from doing so.

The complaint was filed by Lokeshwari, the environment engineer of the MCC, after the incident was reported.

The incident occurred around 10 P.M. on March 17 in front of the bus stop on Bannur Main Road near Cauvery Hospital. The individual arrived in a car and dumped a bag of trash on the roadside, despite being urged by Raju, a pourakarmika, to dump the trash when the MCC’s garbage collection vehicle comes for home collection.

Ignoring Raju’s advice, the individual went ahead and discarded the trash. However, Raju,, recorded the act on his mobile phone, capturing both the littering and the car’s registration number. He promptly reported the incident to higher authorities, who filed a complaint with the police.

In the video, which has since been shared with the media, the litterer was seen justifying his actions by claiming that the garbage collection vehicle had not come for three days. Raju, however, advised him that the proper course of action was to report the delay to the authorities rather than resorting to public littering.

Acting on the complaint, the police have booked a case under Section 271 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. This section penalises actions that endanger public health or safety, and the FIR serves as a warning to others engaging in similar behavior.

The MCC’s crackdown on public littering comes at a crucial time as the city gears up for Swachh Survekshan-2025, a national cleanliness ranking initiative. Once hailed as the cleanest city in India, Mysuru has seen an increase in public littering, especially along the outer ring road where garbage is often dumped under the cover of darkness.

The case sets a strong precedent and sends a clear message that public littering will not be tolerated. Also, such incidents highlight the importance of community vigilance and strict enforcement to maintain the city’s cleanliness.

The MCC has been urging the residents for their support in keeping the city clean even as it has been making best efforts to retain the clean city tag that was bestowed on it after a nationwide assessment by the Centre.

Such acts of public littering may dent the city’s image and affect its chances of making it to the top slots in the survey.