'Dirty Kumars' to give sanitation lessons in Delhi

Mr. Thu-Thu Kumar (who spits), Mr. Su-Su Kumar (who pees in public) and Mr. Kuda Kumar (the litterbug) will soon be seen on bus kiosks, hoardings and even on television and radio trying to instil civic sense in Delhiites.

Mr. Thu-Thu Kumar (who spits), Mr. Su-Su Kumar (who pees in public) and Mr. Kuda Kumar (the litterbug) will soon be seen on bus kiosks, hoardings and even on television and radio trying to instil civic sense in Delhiites.

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They are characters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) proposed ad campaign to raise sanitation awareness in the national capital.

"As the municipal agency, we try raising awareness on keeping the city clean. So an ad-campaign is ideal. We have launched 600 hoardings that will be put up at MCD commercial sites. We have also arranged 200 bus kiosks. The TV and radio campaigns are also being prepared and will be on air soon," Mayor Kanwar Sain said.

The idea is to embarrass offenders and to raise awareness against spitting, urinating and littering in public places, Sain added.

"We want people indulging in littering or spitting to feel embarrassed," he said.

The ads will refer to offenders as Su-Su Kumar, Thu-Thu Kumar and Kuda Kumar and teach them a lesson.

Meanwhile, the civic agency is yet to implement the anti-littering law that would allow it to deploy sanitary inspectors and slap on the spot fines of Rs.50.

At the beginning of the year, MCD Commissioner K.S. Mehra had set up a proposal for 132 anti-litter inspectors under 12 zonal inspectors to issue at least 1,000 fines on offenders daily to reel in the litterbugs. The plan is yet to be implemented and is awaiting the Delhi government's approval.