PMC to charge Rs 360 per year for trash collection

PATNA: The residents of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) area will have to pay holding tax with one time user charges for door-to-door waste collection this year, PMC’s empowered standing committee decided on Tuesday.
Mayor Sita Sahu, who chaired the PMC meeting, said the private firm assigned to collect the holding tax in the city would also collect the user charges for waste collection.
“Residents of all six circles of PMC would have to pay Rs360 annually for garbage collection from this financial year 2020-21. The decision was taken to bring transparency in the revenue from door-to-door garbage revenue collection. It will also reduce the burden of monthly collection of fees for the same,” the mayor said.
“People, who have already paid holding tax can pay the garbage collection charges online on PMC’s website or can pay it next year,” she added.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the empowered committee members also passed a proposal to pay Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia to the family of any sanitation worker who dies due to the deadly virus. Besides, the PMC has decided to give an incentive of Rs 4,500 to each sanitation worker on par with state government employees.
The members also passed a proposal for construction of an underground nullah between McDowell roundabout and Saidpur sump house as the existing one was now defunct. Nullahs would also be constructed in ward number 52, 58 and 62 under Patna City circle.
PMC commissioner Himanshu Sharma said the civic body has decided to join hands with Sulabh International for maintenance of modular toilets across the city. “They would also install water ATMs in several areas, so that people can easily get drinking water without any charges. For maintenance of toilets and installation of water ATMs, the PMC will shell out Rs70 lakh,” he said.
Several other proposals like construction of high-powered tube wells in ward number 35, 39, 44 and 62, construction of link roads in Patna City circle and termination of a private company for breaching contract were also approved at the meeting.