Owners of unoccupied houses as well as those from economically backward families have been exempted from paying user fee for the Haritha Karma Sena’s door-to-door segregated solid waste collection. However, those staying in rented houses will also need to pay the user fee, as per the latest order issued by the Local Self-Government department this week.
Though households below the poverty line were earlier exempted from paying user fee, the exempted list has been widened now to include a wider spectrum of economically poor families and the destitute. The respective grama sabha or ward sabha can also consider more families which deserve exemption from user fee. The local body will provide the user fee for these families to the Haritha Karma Sena. Funds for this purpose will have to be earmarked in the annual Plan of the local body.
Exemption can be provided for unoccupied houses based on the owner’s self-attested application and checks conducted by the local body. The Haritha Karma Sena will also have to periodically ensure that the house is unoccupied and no waste is generated. In case, the Sena reports that the claims are untrue the local body secretary can levy user fee and maximum fines for violations.
For rented houses
In the case of rented houses, the owner can either collect rent inclusive of the user fee and pay the amount to the Haritha Karma Sena or the tenant can pay it. The clauses regarding this need to be included in the rent agreement. In the case of poor families, exemption can be provided for a period of six months at a time.
Early in January, the LSGD had issued an order making user fee payment mandatory as part of the programme to make the State ‘waste-free’ by 2024. Though the increasing coverage of houses have ensured considerable revenue for the Haritha Karma Sena members in some regions, it is yet to pick up in many areas.
