Segregate waste from today or cough up fine

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 11

Be ready  to pay a penalty  ranging from  Rs 200  to Rs 10,000  if you  fail to  segregate  waste at your  house  or commercial establishment from tomorrow. 

The Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has  made  segregation of  solid waste  mandatory from October 12.

Though the MC had  notified  the solid  waste  bylaws  earlier,  making segregation of waste mandatory  got delayed  owing to various reasons. Fearing action from the National Green Tribunal, the MC has   now made segregation of waste must from tomorrow even though it does not seem to be fully prepared for it.   The NGT had  fixed a deadline for the  MC to implement the   solid waste  management rules.

The civic body has failed to sign  an MoU with door-to-door garbage collectors so far. Arrangements for segregation  of waste at sehaj safai kendras (SSKs) have also not been completed. Waste collectors  do not have vehicles  for segregation  of waste.

Sanjay Kumar Jha, Special Commissioner, MC, said waste   collectors  would not take non-segregated garbage  from tomorrow. Residents  not following the  directions will face penalty as per the Solid Waste Management Rules.   

The MC has also directed  the collectors not to pick garbage from households which do not segregate waste.  

Sources  said the  MC had formed  teams under  sanitary inspectors  to check  and  penalise the  violators. Jha  said the MC would focus  on making people  aware   about the rules  and at the same time, penalty  would also  be  imposed. 

Under the rules, a fine of Rs 200  has been  fixed  for defaulting households,  while  hotels  and clubs will have to shell out Rs 10,000. The penalty provision has also been made for waste collectors in case they are found wanting in performing their duties. 

How much violators have to pay

• Houses Rs 200  
• Commercial establishments such as clubs, cinema halls and multiplexes Rs 10,000
• Market welfare assns Rs 20,000
• Gated societies Rs 10,000
• Institutions Rs 20,000 
• Restaurants Rs 20,000