Insanitary conditions persist in Nalagarh, MLA wants cleanliness cess withdrawn

MLA Hardeep Bawa today demanded the withdrawal of the cleanliness cess imposed by the Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Development Authority (BBNDA) and said that since there had been no improvement in the sanitary conditions in his Nalagarh constituency, there was no use in continuing with it. Every household in Nalagarh has to pay Rs 50 as cleanliness cess every month to the electricity board.

Bawa, who raised the issue in the recent winter session of the Vidhan Sabha, said that the cess was not utilised for the purpose for which it was being collected. “Not even an iota of improvement has been witnessed in the level of cleanliness since this cess was imposed,” he rued.

As per the reply given by the BBNDA, “It has collected Rs 637,897 as cleanliness cess in the past three years till April 2025 from the residents. The electricity board, which charges this cess, is yet to pay the remaining amount to it for the current year.”

The authority cut a sorry figure about not utilising the cess money and said that as Nalagarh comprised a large stretch having multiple hotspots, collecting garbage on a daily basis was an arduous exercise. Therefore, garbage was collected every third day.

The authority admitted that M/S JBR Environment Technologies, engaged for the purpose, was unable to collect garbage door-to-door in a systematic manner. It added that this cess had not been disbursed to the company. The company, however, had been directed to depute additional vehicles and labour to ensure cleanliness in the area and if it failed to abide by the directions, action would be taken as per the terms of engagement, stated the authority.

Bawa said that besides Nalagarh town, rural habitations like Pargana Plassi and Changer lacked cleanliness as one could see garbage strewn around callously in this key industrial belt. He agreed that there was need to engage a suitable company on a trial basis to maintain cleanliness in Nalagarh and then engage it on a long-term basis if its work was found satisfactory. He, however, demanded the immediate withdrawal of the cleanliness cess that had served little purpose.