Despite repeated concerns over civic sense, cleanliness and rising pollution, incidents of people dumping garbage on roads and public spaces continue across several parts of India. In an effort to tackle
this persistent problem, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation has adopted an unconventional and attention-grabbing approach.
Recently, the civic body installed a giant LED screen in the Shastri Baug area of Gujarat’s Vadodara, displaying the image of a person caught littering on a roadside. The photograph, taken from CCTV footage, clearly showed the offender in the act, along with the visible number plate of the two-wheeler used at the time. By publicly calling out the act, the municipal corporation aimed to discourage irresponsible behaviour and send a strong message about accountability and cleanliness.
Vadodara Municipal Body’s Litter Prevention Move
This huge board titled, Garbage Throwing in Public Space unveiled that the incident took place in the locality of Shastri Baug in central Vadodara. Beneath the title was a CCTV footage grab of a biker with ‘GJ’ initials on his number plate, throwing garbage on a pile of waste. An account sharing the photo of the offender online in a post on X asked, “should other cities do the same?”
🚨 Vadodara Municipal Corp. Displays Photos of Litterbugs on Led Screens To Expose Offenders. Should other cities do the same? pic.twitter.com/pI3qdMYiqa
— Gems (@gemsofbabus_) January 15, 2026
This public shaming initiative was launched by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation in January 2025. The initiative involved capturing offenders via CCTV and later displaying their photos and vehicle details on LED screens at key city spots. The ultimate aim of the civic body authorities is to raise awareness and instil a greater sense of responsibility towards the city and its surroundings among locals.
According to Manish Bhatt, director of VMC’s IT department, the corporation has identified nearly 500 such offenders in its ongoing crackdown against those openly disposing waste, spitting and urinating. “We forward these images to the respective ward offices for further action. We have high-resolution cameras and a robust surveillance system that supports our cleanliness efforts,” said Bhatt, as quoted by Times of India, as VMC deploys its network of CCTV cameras for monitoring.
‘Why Not Fine Them Heavily’
As the picture of the giant LED screen containing the picture of this Vadodara litterbug went viral online, people felt angry and urged the authorities to impose harsh penalties on such offenders.
“These people are shameless, they don’t care about it this. Only a huge monetary fine will work for them,” said a disappointed Indian citizen.
Someone else said, “Why not fine all of them heavily and collect the fine like taxes …few of these cases and people will get the message.”
“Shame alone won’t change this behaviour because if people had shame, they wouldn’t throw garbage in the open in the first place. Authorities need to impose fines. In India, people only change behaviour when it directly hurts their pockets,” commented another person.
While the move by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation authorities is commendable, it is high time we, as citizens, realise it is our moral responsibility towards the country not to throw garbage around. Until then, even heavy fines and public shaming wouldn’t really lead to a major transformation.
