Sambalpur: The municipal corporation has decided to collect user fees for door-to-door collection of solid waste. The amount of the fee will be fixed according to the size of the house or business establishment.
On an experimental basis, solid waste is now being collected from the households without any charges. This system had been introduced since 2015 in different wards of the corporation area, mostly in Sambalpur, Burla and Hirakud towns.
Many people are voicing their unhappiness with the move.
"The corporation has no right to collect user fee because it has failed to provide basic amenities to the residents," said Raju Mitra of Dhanupali in Sambalpur. "Because there is no elected body to the corporation since its inception, the administrators have been taking decisions without consulting the residents here."
"It is the duty of the corporation to collect solid waste from the houses. By doing this, the corporation is not doing us any favour," said Dilip Patnaik, a social worker.
While domestic holdings up to 500sqft will have to pay Rs 30 a month as user fee, houses up to 1,200sqft will pay Rs 60, those up to 3,000sqft Rs 100 and larger ones Rs 150. Commercial establishments up to 100sqft will pay Rs 60, up to 200sqft Rs 100, up to 500 sqft Rs 150 and up to 1,000sqft Rs 400.
Guest houses will have to pay Rs 750 a month and charges for hotels vary from Rs 500 to Rs 5000 according to size and standard. Commercial offices, government premises, private offices, banks and insurance companies will be charged Rs 200 for up to 150sqft. Beyond that, they will be charged Rs 2 for every additional 10sqft.
The corporation has not spared educational institutions and hostels. Non-residential schools with up to 100 students strength will have to pay Rs 500, 101 to 500 students Rs 800, 501 to 1,000 students Rs 1,500 and above 1,000 students, Rs 100 for every additional 100 students. For nursing homes, the slab ranges between Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 a month.
The corporation is also going to introduce a penalty system for defaulters. According to the circular, residential houses will have to pay Rs 100 a day, shopkeepers Rs 1,000 a day, restaurants Rs 2,000 a day and industrial establishments Rs 5,000 a day as penalty.