Ghaziabad corporation drafts bylaws to fine those dumping garbage in the open

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation has come out with a draft of ‘on spot fine’ bylaws that will allow officials to impose penalties on those found littering solid waste and garbage in and around public places.

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation has come out with a draft of ‘on spot fine’ bylaws that will allow officials to impose penalties on those found littering solid waste and garbage in and around public places. The draft has proposed penalties ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 2,500 under different categories that can be imposed on a daily basis.

The draft bylaws will be placed before the executive committee of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation in a meeting on June 22. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to officials of the corporation, the draft bylaws will be placed before the executive committee in a meeting on June 22. Thereafter, it will be placed before the corporation board for further approval along with any amendments.

“The idea is to penalise erring persons, firms or establishments who dispose solid waste carelessly and make surroundings unhygienic. The penalties have been fixed according to those imposed by several corporations across the country. We even have a provision of collecting monthly solid waste disposal charges from certain categories,” said DK Sinha, additional municipal commissioner.

“Once cleared by the executive committee and board, public objections will also be invited before coming out with the final policy. The idea is to penalise offenders and discourage people from dumping waste in the open,” he said.

Under the draft bylaws, the corporation has fixed financial penalties for different categories of offenders. These include households, shop owners, industries, meat shops and hair cutting saloons, among others.

In case a house owner dumps solid waste in the open, he can be penalised Rs 100 per day. Similarly, restaurant owners and hotels found throwing solid waste in the open will have to pay Rs 400 and Rs 500 per day, respectively.

Dairy owners who dispose of waste in drains and in the open will be penalised Rs 1,000. Anyone found involved in road cutting without permission and damaging drains will be fined Rs 500 per day. Even industrial houses dumping waste in the open will be penalised Rs 1,000 per day.

The penalty clause will also apply on kiosk owners, vegetable and fruit sellers and even those disposing construction debris in the open. The owners will be penalised Rs 200 per day if their cattle or pet spoil the surroundings.