Chandigarh resident receives huge garbage collection bill of Rs 72,900, left shocked

Updated May 25, 2024, 4:45 p.m. IST

A Chandigarh resident received a garbage collection bill of Rs 72,900 from the municipal corporation for a three-storey building that he rented to small traders in the city.

Garbage collection in Chandigarh (Representative Image)

Chandigarh: Sanjeev Grover, a resident of Chandigarh, was surprised when he received a whopping bill of Rs 72,900 from the civic body for garbage collection for his three-storey building in Sector 26. Grover, the owner of the building rented to small traders, expressed his astonishment on receiving the heavy bill without any prior arrears.

The property tax return for the financial year 2024-25 brought a shocking revelation to Grover’s attention, as he used to receive a bill of Rs 200 per floor, totaling Rs 600 per month for his building measuring 16 × 66 square meters.

According to a Indian Express Report, Sanjeev Grover expressed shock over the huge bill issued for his three-story building, pointing out that even a restaurant might not receive such high garbage collection charges. He explained that the building houses a vendor’s accounting office on the first floor, a fruit company’s office on the second floor and a rice trader on the ground floor, all of which generate minimal waste.

Grover mentioned that the civic body had sent a similar bill last year, but it was withdrawn after significant objections were raised. He noted that in the previous system, garbage collectors charged Rs 200 per month for waste collection. However, this year, the civic body has once again issued an inflated bill.

Chandigarh Mayor Kuldeep Kumar said he would ensure that the matter was investigated, stressing that residents should not be burdened with such high waste collection charges. He assured that he would ask staff to check the situation immediately.

In 2019, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation took over waste collection from independent collectors in stages and deployed 399 garbage collection vehicles for the collection of dry and wet waste. The move was aimed at ensuring comprehensive waste collection coverage for households and shops, with the city lagging behind in rankings due to inadequate waste collection practices.