Kolkata: Builders may have to pay hefty fines and even face imprisonment in days to come in case of illegal dumping, collection and transportation of Construction and Demolition (C&D) wastes as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has drawn up a penalty rate chart while also drafting rules where the building department and Solid Waste Management (SWM) department will jointly work for the collection of fees and charges for proper disposal of such wastes.
The civic body has over the years implemented several rules for the
collection and segregation of waste to reduce pollution, a bulk of which is generated from construction and demolition waste.
Recently, a material recycling plant for C&D waste has been set up in New Town. However, KMC officials are of the opinion that such wastes are often found dumped in water bodies and drains which lead to the filling up of ponds and choking of the drains that in turn cause waterlogging in the city.
A KMC official said a rate chart has been drawn up for imposing hefty fines against generators of C&D waste violating the rules. For mixing construction debris with municipal solid waste, one has to pay a Rs 10,000 fine. The penalty for dumping C&D waste in public places is Rs 20,000. For dumping C&D waste in water bodies and drains, there can be punishment with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to Rs 2 lakh or both.
Further, the penalty for not removing C&D waste from the site within seven days after the completion of construction/demolition works can lead to a fine of Rs 5000/tonne. An amount of Rs 10,000 will be charged as a fine for not delivering such waste in a segregated manner, improper transportation, and carrying out C&D management operations without the necessary licence. Additionally, if such violations are repeated then the fine amount will be doubled.
KMC is also setting up a mechanism for the collection of fees and charges for the proper disposal of construction and demolition waste. The mechanism will involve collaboration between the building department and the Solid Waste Management department of KMC. As per the draft rules,
the building department shall collect necessary fees and charges from the builders for collection, loading, transportation, unloading and processing of the generated C&D waste at the time of issuance of a building permit and deposit the same under the SWM department.
In cases where permission is not required from the building department such as during repair work or demolition, the waste generator will have to pay in advance to KMC’s SWM department for disposal of the waste. Government agencies like PWD, KMDA, Railways, Port etc, will have to inform KMC in advance about the quantity of waste that will be generated for their projects. Further, KMC will also set up a toll-free number for providing necessary information to waste generators. The civic body may also waive C&D waste processing charges for plot areas up to 500 sqm. The entire proposal was cleared in the recent Member Mayor-in-Council meeting (MMIC) and is now pending final approval of the KMC.