Gurgaon: People caught dumping rubbish on roadsides, vacant plots, drains, lakes and other public places in the city will now face on-the-spot fines of Rs 5,000 for a first offence and Rs 10,000 for a second offence, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram announced on Wednesday. Separately, under the new enforcement measures, bulk waste generators, institutions and agencies will face steeper penalties of Rs 25,000 for the first violation and Rs 50,000 for repeat offences.The Haryana govt had earlier directed all municipal bodies in the state to strictly enforce a ban on littering and dumping of solid waste at unauthorised locations, with fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 for violators.The move follows a July 26, 2024 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which directed a complete ban on dumping solid waste in public places across Haryana, citing serious environmental and public health concerns.NGT, in its order, observed that uncontrolled dumping of waste contributes significantly to air and water pollution and violates citizens’ fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment. Acting on these directions, the civic body initiated strict enforcement across the city.“There shall be complete prohibition on littering/dumping of solid waste at unauthorised places, particularly roadsides, rivers, waterways, wetlands, lakes, nalas, panchayat or revenue lands, land owned by PWD or other various authorities in the entire State of Haryana,” read the order.“I urge residents, commercial establishments and institutions to dispose of waste only at designated sites and make use of door-to-door collection services… violations will now attract direct financial penalties,” MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said.The corporation authorised senior officials, including the additional commissioner, joint commissioner, deputy municipal commissioner, executive engineers, assistant engineers, senior sanitation inspectors, junior engineers, sanitation inspectors and assistant sanitation inspectors, to impose penalties for violations.Officials said fines will be collected on the spot. In cases where offenders fail to pay, the amount will be recovered as arrears of land revenue under applicable laws. Officials added that the funds collected through penalties will be used to strengthen solid waste management and processing systems in the city.Last week, the MCM also announced that the civic body will get FIRs registered against individuals and entities, especially residential societies with closed sewage treatment plants, for illegal dumping of rubbish and the discharge of untreated water, stepping up the agency’s zero-tolerance approach towards the issue. The measures come ahead of the Swachh Survekshan teams visiting cities in mid-February for cleanliness surveys.
