Balurghat Municipality imposes hefty fines to curb littering

BALURGHAT: In a stringent step to ensure cleanliness across town, the Balurghat Municipality has announced heavy penalties against those found dumping garbage indiscriminately on roads instead of designated areas. The civic body has decided to impose fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 lakh on violators.

The decision was announced during a special cleanliness drive at the busy Sare Tin Number More area of Balurghat. Municipal Chairman Surajit Saha, accompanied by MIC member Mahesh Parakh and municipal workers, supervised the drive and installed signboards warning against roadside dumping.

The move comes after repeated instances of garbage being thrown on streets, particularly in market areas, despite regular waste collection services. According to municipal sources, the Board has already passed a resolution to install nearly 20 CCTV cameras in each of the town’s 25 wards.

Surveillance systems are being set up in key market zones and other vulnerable spots to identify offenders through camera footage. Authorities believe that strict monitoring will act as a deterrent for habitual violators.

Balurghat town has an established waste management mechanism in place. Garbage collection vehicles visit households every morning across all 25 wards and transport the waste to the designated dumping ground.

Sanitation workers, including Nirmal Sathi and Nirmal Bandhu personnel, are also actively engaged in maintaining cleanliness.

However, officials noted that despite awareness campaigns and repeated appeals, a section of residents continues to dump waste in open spaces and along roads. Chairman Surajit Saha said: “In the market area, some unidentified persons have been dumping garbage at night.

We cleaned the spot and installed CCTV cameras there. From now on, anyone found dumping waste will be fined between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1 lakh. In the coming days, CCTV cameras will be installed in many more parts of the town to ensure strict surveillance.”