Now, think before littering or be ready to pay hefty fines

The appointments have been made in compliance of an order of the Delhi high court which had expressed its displeasure on dismal prosecution and lack of staff to enforce sanitation drive. 

Under the proposed plan, sanitary staff will be deployed at various locations and they will challan for offending the law. However, before enforcing the law in full swing, the Corporations have decided to raise the awareness of the people on the issue and the penalty will be hefty amounts so as to deter the offenders.

Notifications, released by the MCDs, have stated that appointment of Metropolitan Magistrates have been made in each zone of the city and number of magistrates in every zone have been fixed considering area/population of the zone. The magistrates have been given powers under Sections 353, 354, 357, 397 and 398 of the DMC Act. 

“The Magistrates have been empowered the various sections of the DMC Act which include duty of owners and occupiers to collect and deposit rubbish, collection and removal of filth and polluted matter, prohibition against accumulation of rubbish, prohibition of nuisances and power of commissioner to require removal or abetment of nuisance rules. The offenders will have to pay fine up to Rs 500 and in certain cases it may go up,” said a senior official.

Before Commonwealth Games, the unified Corporation had first announced the move enabling the civic body to issue on-the-spot challans to offenders and charge higher penalty — between Rs 50 to Rs 500. But the move gained momentum when the Centre launched Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014. 

The agencies, in order to achieve the target under the mission, announced to slap hefty fines for causing in-sanitation/littering. The agencies also announced to make certain amendments in the existing sanitation bye-laws so they could challan hefty amount. 

In September 2014, the Delhi government too hinted to finalise a proposal for enhancing fines for littering by change in sanitation bye-laws in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Act in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet Programme.

“Under the anti-littering law, spitting, defecating and bathing in public places would invite hefty penalties from Municipal inspectors, who would challan litterbugs on the spot. The civic agency issues a fine between Rs 50 to 500 for the offences. But once the new law is implemented, people will have to pay anywhere between Rs 200 and Rs 500.  It has also proposed to charge Rs 20,000 from those who leave debris lying on the streets. 

Besides, all the pet owners who let their pets out into the streets to litter will likely to be fined Rs1,000 by the civic body,” said another official.