Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: Garbage dumping in the open will cost residents dear from tomorrow as the civic body will slap a pecuniary punishment on the litter louts who will have to pay “administrative charges” for polluting their surroundings.

An official of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation said collecting the administrative charge was necessary to fund the cleaning drive by its employees and sensitise the public.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said that while the charge for an ordinary household would be between Rs 100 and Rs 250, for commercial establishments, it will range from Rs 150 to Rs 1,250.

For small industries, the corporation will collect anything between Rs 500 to Rs 2,500 and the big ones will be charged between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000. “This will also be applicable to agencies which dump building material waste on roadside,” said Jena.

The corporation council today unanimously passed the proposal to empower its officials to collect the charge from the offenders.

“We have asked our sanitary inspectors and workers to identify people who are polluting the environment in their surroundings and creating unhealthy atmosphere,” said commissioner Krishan Kumar. The decision is likely to help curb spreading of dengue across the state. Today two persons were found positive in the city.

“The council also decided today to create a ward-level committee to create awareness among the public with publicity materials against dengue,” said deputy secretary Subhranshu Sekhar Mishra.

The civic body spends Rs 72 crore to Rs 80 crore to pay the bills for lifting solid waste from the city and dump it near Bhuasuni.

The council also approved several other important proposal such as delegation of administrative powers to two additional commissioners to de-centralise power and quicker decision-making process.