Retail giant Big Bazaar, which promised discount coupons to customers in Thiruvananthapuram in exchange of old newspaper and other scrap, has been slapped fine for littering. An outlet of Big Bazaar at Pattom in the city was caught red handed while disposing junk in another part of the city by corporation authorities.
In retailing, the state is considered a bellwether market since Gulf economy-nourished Kerala tops the country in MPCE (Monthly Per Capita Expenditure) — both urban and rural, according to the latest NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) statistics. Urban Kerala is estimated to have an enviable MPCE of R5,376 and any consumer expectation swing at the retailing level is nationally noticed.
The detection of foul play on Wednesday has opened a can of worms over the much advertised “junk exchange” schemes of the retail firm. The consumers were given a discount if they turn in junk items like old newspapers, old bags, old footwear and old clothes. Apparently, the junk were not recycled, but dumped elsewhere in the city.
“In this instance, as many as five truckloads of scrap were dumped at another part of the city in the night. To mark the civic irresponsibility, we have slapped the retailer with a fine of R25,000 for littering. They have been asked to clean up the place in a day, failing which they would face further penal measures, including cancellation of their licence to do business in the present premises,” Thiruvananthapuram city mayor VK Prashanth told FE.
Through ads in city newspapers, the retailer had offered to take junk material from customers. Those who bring junk items will be given a coupon in exchange, which can be redeemed when shopping to get extra discounts up to 12.5%.The managers at the retail store said, on conditions of anonymity, that the sub-contractors, whom they entrusted the junk material with, had let them down, dumping them in a residential area in truck-loads in the night.
“It’s obvious that the junk-exchange scheme is just a ploy to get rid of old stock. This would have been acceptable, if they have a system in place to process or recycle the collected waste,” says K Sreekumar, chairman, Health Standing Committee, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
Besides asking Big Bazaar, Pattom to give details of their waste disposal mechanism, the civic authorities at Thiruvananthapuram are also considering the mandatory norm of furnishing of waste disposal plan at the earlier stage, when an entrepreneur applies for license to do business at a locality. This has also made their counterparts at other 900-odd civic bodies in Kerala sit up and take a hard close look at the waste-disposal systems of traders in their jurisdiction.