Vadodara: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) sealed a shop in the walled city on Monday for littering the road outside its premises. The dairy outlet was reopened only after the owner paid a Rs 5,000 fine.The shop was closed until Monday afternoon after the action. VMC officials said the violation came to light during an early morning inspection of the old city. In-charge deputy municipal commissioner (East Zone) Suresh Tuver said officials had been instructed to conduct early morning inspections. During one round, he and other officials found cups, wrappers and other waste strewn outside Shri Ramkrupa Store near Mandvi. The outlet sells ice cream and other items that are popular in summer.Tuver said the shop remains open late into the night. “Waste from such establishments is collected twice a day and this should not happen. It appears the shop did not clean the area and left the waste in the open,” he said. He added that the littering may have been done with the assumption that the waste would be cleared during the morning street sweeping. The shopkeeper paid a fine of Rs 5,000 around noon, after which the seal was removed. “We took strict action to send a clear message that littering will not be tolerated. Similar action will continue in the coming days,” Tuver said.
