Ganga Cleanup: Repeatedly Dumping Waste Into The River To Attract Rs 50,000 Penalty

Dumping waste in Ganga river is now going to be a expensive proposition in the temple town of Varanasi with the city administration having decided upon steep fines for anyone found dumping waste into the river, reports The Hindustan Times.

District Magistrate, Surendra Singh, gave the instructions in a meeting of district environment committee and instructed officials to fine Rs 2,000 if anyone was found dumping waste into the Ganga and ponds for the first time.

“If the person doesn’t mend his/her ways and is found dumping the waste into the river for the second time, slap a financial penalty of Rs 10, 000. If the person repeats it for the third time, slap a fine of Rs 50,000 on him” the DM said.

Similar instructions were passed for dumping wastes in the canals to the river, with the penalty being Rs 1,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 for the first, second and third occasions.

Shopkeepers will be fined Rs 2,000 for keeping open bins for waste disposal and if caught for the second time Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 on the third time. Also Varanasi Municipal Corporation would carry out surprise inspections at the shops in the city to check if the shopkeepers have waste disposal arrangements.