Nashik: ₹10,000 Fine For Dumping Waste In Public Places, Repeat Offenders Face Prosecution

Nashik: In a bid to keep Nashik clean, green, beautiful and pollution-free, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has decided to strictly enforce solid waste management regulations. Citizens found dumping waste in public places will now face a direct fine of ₹10,000. Municipal Commissioner Manisha Khatri has warned that repeated violations will lead to criminal prosecution under the Environment Protection Act, with offenders liable to face imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.

The civic body has issued guidelines for strict implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The rules are applicable to citizens, traders, housing societies, hotels, educational institutions and various establishments. Household and commercial waste must be segregated into four categories: wet waste, dry waste, sanitary waste and special-care waste, before being handed over to the municipal collection system.

Dumping unsegregated waste in public places or directly handing it over to garbage collection vehicles will be treated as a violation. Projects and establishments with a built-up area of more than 20,000 sq metres, those consuming more than 40,000 litres of water per day, or generating more than 100 kg of waste daily have been classified as Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs). Such establishments will be required to register on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) portal and process waste within their premises.

New penalties

• Dumping waste in public places: ₹10,000

• Burning waste on a large scale: ₹25,000

• Burning leaves, plastic or rubber: ₹5,000

• Defecating in the open: ₹4,000

• Open defecation: ₹500

• Urinating in public/open places: ₹200

• Littering or dirtying roads/passages: ₹180

• Spitting in public places: ₹150