Up to one year imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine; Govt. to crack down on public waste disposal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Government has enacted stringent laws to ensure a cleaner state. Under the Kerala Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2024, severe penalties of up to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 50,000 are imposed for waste-related offenses.

Minister MB Rajesh announced that local bodies failing in waste disposal will face fund cuts and fines will be deducted from their budgets. Immediate actions will be taken to remove waste dumping sites across the state.

A state-of-the-art centralized waste treatment plant will be built in Kochi within 18 months, with plans for another in Thiruvananthapuram.

Out of 231 local institutions, 100% waste treatment is achieved by 231, while 321 have reached 90%. However, 46 institutions lag below 50% and 11 fall below 30%.

To ensure accountability, local secretaries will bear full responsibility for waste disposal, facing consequences for failures. They are now authorized to spend up to Rs 2 lakh in emergencies, up from Rs 25,000.

The government mandates issuing waste management-related orders within one month, with penalties for delays.

Failure to pay user fees within 90 days will incur arrears along with property tax, plus a 50% monthly penalty. Delinquents will lose access to local authority services.

Extreme poverty category individuals are exempt from user fees with local bodies compensating Harita Karmasena accordingly.

Events with over 100 attendees must notify local authorities three days in advance with garbage disposal arranged through designated collectors or agencies for a fixed fee.

Residents near waste treatment plants receive tax exemptions and rewards are offered for reporting littering.

Vehicles caught improperly disposing of liquid waste or excreta may be impounded.