Hazaribagh: The society of an apartment on the Gandhi Maidan stretch, one of the posh localities of the town, got a taste of its own medicine when Hazaribagh Municipal Corporation dumped four truckloads of trash on the residential campus for failing to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 for discharging dirty water on the road.

On Tuesday afternoon, residents of Ajay Enclave in Matwari couldn't help but come out of their flats with their noses covered to block the stench from the garbage that was unloaded at the instruction of sadar SDO Aditya Ranjan.

Around 9.15pm on Tuesday, society secretary Sujeet Kumar accepted the mistake, paid Rs 10,000 as penalty and gave a written undertaking to keep the area and road clean. He said the society would build a proper drainage system soon. Corporation workers picked up the trash and left the spot by 10.15pm.

Sources said the apartment had been discharging dirty water on the road for months, much to the irritation of local residents.

On September 18, 2017, residents filed a complaint with DC Ravi Shankar Shukla, who ordered the municipal corporation to probe the matter and submit a report.

In a report submitted on October 9, the allegation against the apartment was found to be true.

On October 12, the apartment was served a notice and asked to put in place a proper drainage facility.

When the apartment failed to act on the notice, it was asked to cough up a fine of Rs 50,000 on January 25.

A team from the corporation reached Ajay Enclave on Tuesday, the society initially refused to pay the penalty, prompting the officials to contact Ranjan.

The SDO asked the team to teach the defaulters a lesson.

Ranjan said it was mandatory for malls, market complexes, hotels and restaurants to focus on cleanliness. He has asked ward commissioners to keep a strict watch on such defaulters and punish them accordingly.

"Sabak aisa mila ki ab dubara aisi galti nahi karega (they have learnt such a lesson that they will not repeat this mistake)," Sumit Singh, a resident of Matwari area, said.