No composting of waste, over Rs 11 lakh fines slapped on 3 hotels, eatery in Noida

NOIDA: The Noida Authority on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs 11.5 lakh on three hotels and one restaurant in the bulk-waste generator category for not having proper systems to dispose of garbage on their own.
Three of them had no composting machines to process the waste, said officials, adding that they are now imposing fines on shopkeepers using single-use plastic in weekly markets too.
Deputy general manager SP Singh said the authority fined a four-star hotel and a prominent eatery in Sector 18 Rs 5 lakh each for not having any composting machines, a Sector 27 hotel Rs one lakh for having an out-of-order composting machine and another hotel of Rs 50,000 for not disposing of garbage properly. In addition, the Noida Authority team has been conducting inspections at weekly markets and imposing fines on the shopkeepers who are still putting items in single-use plastic bags and handing them over to customers. Two such raids recently happened at the weekly markets in sectors 21 and 71, with fines imposed on several shopkeepers.
Along with this, a "thaila" bank is under creation to distribute cloth bags and spread awareness among people.
Officials said the government ordered the authority to implement a complete ban on single-use plastic on July 1 last year.
Noida Authority has been participating in the Swachh Survekshan since 2018.
Over the years, its rank has improved significantly.
While Noida was ranked 300 in the 2018 Swachh Survekshan, it ranked 150 in 2019. Its position improved to 25 in 2020. Noida was ranked 11 in 2021 and 2022.
Besides, Noida got the title of "cleanest medium city" in 2021 and "best sustainable city" in 2022.
Noida has also earned the five-star ranking of garbage-free cities.