Tirupati civic body moots enhanced garbage collection charges from July 1

TIRUPATI:  Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) proposes to increase the user charges for garbage collection from households and commercial establishments. The corporation proposes to collect Rs 40 and Rs 60 per month. MCT sanitary supervisor Chenchaiah told TNIE the MCT chief has directed the officers to collect enhanced user charges from July 1. However, the user charges to be collected from households in slum areas and residential areas has not yet been finalised. 

He said the user fee hike is aimed at meeting the cost expenditure incurred by the MCT in segregating the garbage. Currently, Rs 20 and Rs 30 are being collected from houses in the slum and residential areas per month.According to the MCT records, there are 91,000 households and 13,000 commercial establishments under the MCT limits. Of the total 1.04 lakh establishments, the MCT nets Rs 14 to Rs 15 lakh through user fees per month. With the revised user charges, the MCT aims to collect an estimated Rs 1 crore per month.  

He explained the user charges are collected under 20 categories and it varies for each category based on the amount of waste generated. On an average, a star hotel is charged Rs 6,000, while a private hospital is charged Rs 4,000, he added. According to the 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules, the user fee collection has been made mandatory for utilising the funds released under AMRUT scheme and 15th Finance Commission for municipal corporations, he said.