E-Paper
2 months on, Ludhiana MC fails to implement solid waste bylaws
Earlier, MC officials had said that a challaning drive will be started from September 15, but nothing has been done so far
Even after two months since the Punjab local bodies department notified solid waste bylaws in the state, the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) has failed to implement them in the city. This has resulted in flouting of solid waste management norms, littering and open dumping of garbage.
As per the bylaws that were notified on August 11, the MC can issue challans for violations of solid waste management norms. Also, user charges were to be collected from residents for services including door-to-door collection of waste.
The MC is adopting a lackadaisical approach despite the monitoring committee of National Green Tribunal (NGT) having imposed bank guarantees of Rs 22 lakh on the civic body for its failure to implement solid waste management and upgrade sewer treatment plants (STP).
The MC was directed to implement door-to-door collection and waste segregation in all wards by November 30, failing which bank guarantee of Rs 5 lakh would be encashed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).
The MC committee, which had recently visited Indore to study the solid waste management system in the cleanest city in the country, said that the MC will have to deal with violators strictly.
Earlier, MC officials had claimed that an extensive challan drive will be started from September 15 onwards, but nothing has been done at ground level till now.
An MC official, requesting anonymity, said that initially the MC could not take any action as the bylaws were not notified.
He added that the MC received a copy of notified bylaws in the last week of August. But now, the officials are not commencing the challan drive citing the ongoing awareness campaign, he said.
Municipal commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said, “The civic body has started a 15-day awareness campaign, “My waste, May responsibility”. So far, we have received good response from the residents. Residents are also opting for waste segregation and nothing can be done without public participation at large. Soon, the MC will start the drive to issue challans to residents if they fail to follow norms.”
Challans for violations
The challan amount can range from Rs 250 to Rs 5,000 depending on the category of property and violation of the owner.
Challans upto Rs 20,000 can be issued for sale of plastic carry bags and for burning garbage, challans upto Rs 25,000 can be imposed. The MC has also been directed to depute nuisance detectors in the city, who will keep a check and issue challans to violators.
The local bodies department has also fixed monthly charges for door-to-door collection of waste and the charges vary from Rs 50 (for households up to 200 square metre area) to Rs 25,000 for a university. There will be atleast 5% annual increment in the charges.
A resident organising an event at a public place will have to inform the civic body three days prior to the event and pay user charges for collection of waste which may vary from Rs 5,000 (for upto 100 participants) to 40,000 (for above 10,000 participants). If the person fails to clear the waste from the site or inform the authorities, action will be taken against by MC.
