SIBU: Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) is mulling imposing heavier penalty on litterbugs.
Its chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King said the council could take the cue from Singapore which metes out stern punishment on those caught littering.
Saying the measures could include increasing the compound amount to RM100, he was quick to point out that this was merely a suggestion, but would push for its implementation if the present RM20 compound failed to achieve the desired results.
“The proposal is subject to whether the existing RM20-compound is effective in deterring litterbugs. You see, in the past, we imposed RM2 for littering and gradually increased the compound to RM20. The compounds like RM2, RM5 and RM10 in the past had failed to deter litterbugs; perhaps the compound amount was too small.
“Now, we will see if the RM20 compound will deter them from such action (littering). Should the situation remain the same, maybe we will increase to RM50; we will do it step-by-step.
“Hopefully, heavier compound will deter littering in Sibu. I think we ought to learn from Singapore which imposes a 500-dollar compound for littering,” he told reporters yesterday when asked to elaborate a point in his speech during the implementation of ‘Friends of Garden Taskforce 2016’ programme here yesterday.
Tiong, who is Dudong assemblyman, officiated at the event which was a collaboration between the National Landscape Department, SMC and JKKK Jalan Diong Kik.
He did not discount the possibility of using closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) to catch litterbugs red-handed. At the same time, he called on locals to join hands with the council to ensure that the town would be ‘clean and healthy’ for people to work and live in.
For the record, SMC initiated the pilot project themed ‘I Love A Clean Sibu’ along the busy Channel Road here to raise the standard of cleanliness and hygiene in 2011.
On another matter, Tiong mentioned that it was a requirement for developers to denote a certain area for green initiatives such as a park when submitting their development plans.