Mumbai: BMC on Monday morning discussed revisions to its solid waste management (SWM) bylaws and a proposed user fee for waste collection.
In a presentation to the BMC chief, a proposal for user charges, which have a potential to generate Rs 687 crore only from residential properties, was discussed. The municipal commissioner instructed the SWM department to examine the legal framework for amending these bylaws.
Among proposed changes is a fee for waste collection as well as higher penalty rates for spitting, littering, etc. Spitting for instance could attract a Rs 500 penalty instead of Rs 200 now.
According to officials, Mumbai has high per capita expense for SWM at Rs 3,141, significantly higher than other cities. Mumbai generates a massive 6,500 metric tons of waste daily which is taken largely to the Kanjurmarg dump and a small amount to Deonar. The SWM wing has a workforce of 43,000, of which 28,000 are permanent staff and rest contractual labourers. For 2024-25, the SWM department estimated a budget of Rs 4,878 crore of which Rs 1,575 crore is for capital expenditure and Rs 3,302 crore for revenue expenditure.
As per the existing MMC Act, it is obligatory for the urban local body to provide solid waste management services to citizens without any user charges. However, civic officials argue that considering the rise in population and growing volume of solid waste, user charges are necessary for smooth operations.
The Solid Waste Management bye-laws will need to be updated to incorporate the latest rules, regulations, as well as schemes introduced after 2016. This includes Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, E-waste Management Rules, 2022, Swachh Bharat Mission and Inclusion of informal sectors.
However, the plan to bring in a user fee has been opposed by political leaders including former cabinet ministers Aaditya Thackeray, who is an MLA from Worli, and MP Varsha Gaikwad.
Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh, also a two-term corporator in the BMC, said barely a few years ago the Mumbai civic body had fixed deposits of Rs 90,000 crore. “Now not only have these deposits come down but we have reached a point that the BMC is considering a user fee. Why? Is it because civic liabilities have hit the roof because of unnecessary projects and we are no longer in a position to pay contractors,” Shaikh asked.
