Mumbai: BMC to charge INR 100 to INR 1,000 per household for solid waste management

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sought legal advice on how to charge Mumbaikars for solid waste management. The BMC is considering charging INR 100 to INR 1,000 per household for handling the solid waste generated. Legal advice has been given to the BMC to figure out how to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act of 1888, under which this service is mandatory. The civic body had started the discussion of levying user charges in December.

For this, the Modi government itself issued a guideline in 2016. The BMC has prepared to implement the same guidelines. Under the proposed scheme, the fee will be fixed according to the size of each house.

Also Read: Mumbai: BMC to purchase updated machines to combat rising road dust

There is a general consensus on the collection of fee per family and the approximate amount will be INR 100 to INR 1,00 depending on the size of the household (within limits) and will be collected on a monthly basis. There will also be a separate tariff for business users, which will be around INR 500 to INR 5,500.

There is growing resentment among Mumbaikars against this decision of the civic body. The BMC already collects a huge amount from the public through property tax, water cess and other taxes. So why is this new fee being imposed, say social workers. Some citizens believe that waste charges should be based on the amount of waste generated rather than the size of the household.