Rs 10.52L penalty imposed for civic violations in Faridabad in 1 month

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, December 16

The Faridabad Municipal Corporation (MC) this month imposed a penalty of around Rs 10.52 lakh on residents for various civic offences, including violation of ban on single-use plastic in the city. However, as per sources, the civic body has recovered only 17.33 per cent of the penalties.

A majority of these challans were related to the sale and use of the banned single-use plastic. As many as 865 challans involving a penalty of Rs 5,62,500 have been issued for the violation since December 1.

These were followed by challans for burning garbage. According to officials, as many as 15 fines worth Rs 75,000 were imposed for this violation in the past 16 days. A penalty of Rs 25,500 was imposed in around 161 incidents of dumping of waste in the open.

Another 55 challans worth Rs 29,500 related to violations of guidelines for selling meat and dumping of cowdung in an unauthorised manner were also issued in the past 16 days.

The sources reveal that the recovery of the challan penalty has been poor as the department concerned has only been able to recover Rs 1,82,500, which is only 17.33 per cent of the total penalty of Rs 10.52 lakh.

The recovery of penalty on using single-use plastic items like carry bags has been Rs 84,000 against the challans amounting to Rs 5,62,500, accounting to only 7.99 per cent. It is claimed that while the total amount of challans issued since July 2022 is over Rs 20 lakh, the overall recovery made has been between 20 to 30 per cent . The authorities have directed the officials concerned to recover the pending amount along with the house tax before the end of the current financial year, an official on the condition of anonymity said.

The sources claim that even though according to the official state gazette notification issued on February 25, 2022, officials of around 24 departments, including the DC, SDM, city magistrate, those from Municipal bodies, the HSVP estate officer, regional officers of the State Pollution Control Board and district Food and Supply Department, tehsildars, naib tehsildars, secretaries of market committees and officials of the District Town and Country Planning Department, had been authorised to issue challans, it is only the Municipal Corporation and the market committees that have been active to some extent.

With not even a single challan issued for the use of plastic by the officials of the 22 departments concerned, the authorities need to curb its manufacturing and supply by wholesalers and retailers,” social activist AK Gaur said.

MC official Bishan Singh Tewatia said the recovery of penalty is being stepped up.