VIJAYAWADA: People living in urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State, all 110 of them, including 14 corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats, will soon have to pay a fee to get their garbage disposed of. Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) will charge domestic and commercial establishments between Rs 30 and Rs 5,000. The solid waste management policy prepared by MAUD officials following Supreme Court directions proposes the collection of a fee for waste disposal. It is relevant to note that 80 to 90 per cent of all funds allocated to civic bodies in the State for sanitation work is being spent on garbage collection and transportation.
MAUD justifies the move citing the ‘polluter pays’ principle, which allows the collection and revision of charges in ULBs once every two years. The fee, however, cannot be exacted from those following a zero solid waste system, which will be verified by a competent official with the ULB.“Finally, everything should be self-sustainable. We cannot waste taxpayers money for garbage processing,’’ MAUD Principal Secretary Karikal Valaven told TNIE.
Burning of waste is prohibited in ULBs under the new policy and any person or body indulging in such activity is liable to be fined Rs 5,000 as environmental compensation in case of simple burning and Rs 25,000 in case of bulk waste burning.“Waste should not be burnt in public places as it causes environmental pollution. Of course, in waste-to-energy plants, the process of burning is common, but it is being done in a scientific manner,’’ he clarified.
Proposed monthly charges
Households, Rs 30; apartments, Rs 30 per unit; commercial establishments, eateries and bakeries, Rs 500; guest houses, Rs 750; hostels, Rs 750; Unstarred hotels, Rs 750; 1 to 3 star hotels, Rs 1,500; 3 star plus hotels, Rs 5,000); educational institutions: govt, Rs 250 & private, Rs 1,000; function halls, Rs 3,000; govt offices, Rs 250; private offices, Rs 1,000; cinema halls, Rs 1,500; multiplexes (Rs 1,500 per screen); health centres: Rs 750 for bedless, Rs 1,500 for up to 100 beds & over Rs 5,000 for over 100 beds