In Delhi, all will have to pay user fee for waste disposal services

From the next financial year in April, Delhi residents will have to cough up a user fee for waste disposal.

The quantum of the fees will be fixed by the municipal corporation after the Delhi High Court reviews a report submitted by Delhi State Legal Service Authority (DSLA) that was tasked to frame guidelines for the new solid waste management (SWM).

The SWM is expected to start in Delhi from April 2018.

The DSLA report recommends the imposition of a user fee on all waste generating units, which include households, cooperative group housing societies, small shops, eateries, fruit and vegetable vendors, and dwelling units in unauthorised colonies. The DSLA, which has listed out all the waste generating units in its report, has not fixed the quantum of user fee.

“The DSLA was given the task to identify waste generating units and fix the role of different authorities. The committee has prepared the report with the help of government authorities and has submitted it to the High Court. The new SWM rule will come into effect from April 2018. Households and approved colonies will have to ensure that wet and dry waste are segregated at the source level. The High Court will examine our reports and then the MCD will be asked to fix the amount of user charges,” Sanjeev Jain, a member of the DSLA, said.

According to the DSLA report, managing waste generated in unauthorised colonies has proven to be a big challenge for the civic bodies. The committee also identified as major waste generating sources roadside waste by street vendors and a complete lack of on-site waste management in a number of vegetable and fruit markets.

The DSLA also pointed out that even in posh residential colonies, the response for waste segregation programme was poor. But poor infrastructure of municipal bodies was proving to be a hindrance in making the campaign successful.

“To encourage on-source waste segregation, the DSLA has recommended that municipal bodies introduce an incentive-based plan. But the final call has been left to the MCDs,” Jain said.