Ludhiana: Management of main vegetable market slapped with ₹37L fine for failure to deal with garbage
A Ludhiana MC official stated that a penalty of ₹5,000 per day has been imposed retrospectively on the market committee from the day the solid waste management cleanliness and sanitation bylaws were notified by the Punjab government (August 11, 2020) to September 1, 2022 (total of 751 days), which comes to ₹37.55 lakh
The Ludhiana municipal corporation has slapped a fine of ₹37.55 lakh on the market committee of the city’s main vegetable market near Jalandhar Bypass for failing to dispose off waste generated on its premises.
An MC official stated that a penalty of ₹5,000 per day has been imposed retrospectively on the market committee from the day the solid waste management cleanliness and sanitation bylaws were notified by the government (August 11, 2020) to September 1, 2022 (total of 751 days), which comes to ₹37.55 lakh.
In the notice served to the district mandi officer (DMO), MC officials stated that the vegetable market falls under the category of bulk generators as per the solid waste management rules 2016, and is responsible for disposing of the waste generated on its premises. The notice stated that around 50 metric tonnes of garbage is generated in the vegetable market on a daily basis.
It added that the market committee did not take any measures to deal with the problem despite being served with multiple notices.
Meanwhile, DMO Bir Inder Singh said that the higher authorities of the mandi board have been apprised of the penalty imposed by MC. “A few proposals have also been shared with senior officials regarding solutions for waste disposal we will take the next steps based on their order,” said Singh.
In April, MC had imposed challans worth ₹ 50,000 on the market committee for burning garbage on the premises.
MC cites NGT orders
In the notice, it was also highlighted that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed a ₹100 crore inteim compensation (penalty) on MC for its failure to dispose of around 30 lakh metric tonnes of solid waste at the main dump site on Tajpur road. In that order, the tribunal also pointed out that MC can take action and impose penalties on the violators who have failed to perform their duty.
Visitors to the city’s main vegetable market near Jalandhar Bypass are routinely greeted by utter chaos, unhygienic conditions and accumulated garbage, with the market administration failing to come up with a sustainable solution for waste disposal, even as a new contract for the same was issued in May this year.