Fine on relieving in public

Free Thinker *

It is a pleasant surprise to get a breaking news from Kanpur saying that the Kanpur Municipality Corporation (KMC) has imposed instant fines for two nuisances (civil offences); one has to pay off 200 rupees if caught peeing in public; for open defecation one must cough up 500 rupees on the spot if caught red handed.

This logical step was perhaps taken up so to safeguard the prestige and position of the Government as it had declared Kanpur as defecation free in Oct 2017.

Our Birenji had also done a similar thing on 2nd Oct last year at GM Hall, declaring that we are now open defecation free. So, we must also take precautionary measures at least for the Imphal city before the hyper active opposition raises fingers or show relevant photographs.

However, in a city like Imphal the pecuniary penalty may further be rationalized in order to suit the local reality. Here people are poor because of excessive unnecessary activities like bandhs, blockades, rallies, general strikes, shut-downs, curfews, operations, tuitions, bribery, extortions, ransom etc. though they are very kindhearted. Even the Rickshaw-pullers and hawkers contribute 10/20 rupees to the roaming local authorities.

Frankly speaking I keep launching this terrific idea from this platform every now and then. Nobody heeded to such a brilliant idea. Now, look at Kanpur, the Kanpur Municipal corporation has done it. But I think the Kanpur fines are on the higher side. It should have been 100 and 200 respectively.

One may argue that Kanpur is a big city, people of Kanpur are relatively better-off and so they can afford to pay such hefty fines. Then so be it.

For us, I believe 50 and 100 will do; penalty should be in conformity with the living standard of the people. Hand over the responsibility of collecting the fines to the VDF and local police. Then see the sea change in and around the city.

Later we may include all municipal areas of the State. Whether the State gets extra revenue or not from this kind of imposition, the purpose will be served. This will work as a deterrent and at the same time no one will be caught on record. Pocket money for the poor dutiful people should not be questioned.

Once there was a serious discourse among the courtiers in the royal court of Maharaj Chandrakriti about – what is the most unbearable (painful) thing on earth? is it heart break? is it child delivery? is it some grave injury? Is it the pain of a dreadful disease? Bizzando, the wittiest and the favorite courtier of the Maharaj remained silent; Maharaj insisted him to respond. Bizzando in his inevitable style said, “Eigya, the most unbearable thing on earth is to restrain(control) discharge of feces?”

There was a great laughter in the hall. Bizzando assured the King that he will prove it one day. After many days Chandrakriti Maharaj and Bizzando went for a boat ride at Loktak lake. They started early in the morning. Maharaj had a sumptuous breakfast at Bisnupur and a humongous lunch at Moirang and then proceeded for boating.

Maharaja took the biggest-heaviest boat with Bizzando. They were rowed to the middle of the lake. Bizzando asked the boatmen to remain in and around the middle of the lake till sun-set. In the late afternoon Maharaja told Bizzando to row back as he was feeling the call of the nature; in fact, he wanted to defecate. They had to go back to the shore as there was no toilet on the boat.

Boat-men informed Bizzando it would take at least 1 hour to reach the bank. Bizzando requested Maharaj to tame the pressure for one hour till they reach the shore. Maharaj could not contain the pressure. At that critical juncture Bizzando asked Maharaj, what is the most unbearable thing on earth ? Maharaj yielded to both Bizzando and the nature’s call in the middle of the lake.

Open urination and defecation into the Loktak are a matter of concern. Recently I was in Srinagar; I was curious to know how people and tourists defecate and urinate inside the House Boats of Dal lake; I learnt from the local people that they have proper toilets inside the boats with portable septic- tanks which are again cleaned up every day by the local bodies.

For the Loktak inhabitants or ‘phum people’ and tourists, floating toilets with scientific septic tanks may be built (which are to be cleaned on day to day basis).

Loktak Development Authority or an appropriate local body or the local representatives may organize such a system of cleaning, collecting and disposing of the human waste from Loktak lake (from FLOATING TOILETS).

What is wrong to emulate the idea of portable- septic- tank from the House-boats of Dal lake. Send a team to Srinagar, not now, because it is freezingly cold, may be in summer so that they enjoy while learning the art of collecting and disposing of human waste from the detachable septic tanks of the House Boats of Dal Lake.

Washrooms on ‘phums’(floating mass) ought to be the idea. Thus, Loktak lake may also be freed from open urination and defecation as the Dal lake.