The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has taken action against 28 hotel and restaurant owners for littering solid waste in public places in the past one month. 

According to the KMC, hoteliers in Sinamangal, Sundhara, New Baneshwor, Old Baneshwor, Gaushala and Koteshwor have been booked after they were found dumping their waste in open spaces. The KMC along with Kathmandu Distriction Administration Office and Nepal Police had decided in December to increase surveillance and take strict action against the rule violators. 

KMC officials has claimed their initiatives have largely discouraged people from littering in the open areas of the city. 

According to Hari Bahadur Kunwar, chief of the KMC’s Environment Division, the hotel owners were fined up to Rs 10,000 under the Solid Waste Management Act-2011 based on the amount of garbage they had dumped. 

As per the law, anyone found littering  can be slapped with a fine of up to Rs 100,000 or a jail term of up to three months or both. 

“Besides, we have also taken action against public for throwing garbage haphazardly. However, the number of littering by public has come down,” said Kunwar.  

The metropolis is also running awareness programmes through media, according to Kunwar. 

It has been using a van equipped with a public address system to impart awareness message to residents in all 32 wards in the metropolis for the past one month. The KMC has deployed two officials from the Environment Division for the purpose.