New Delhi, Jun 30 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it will not hesitate in taking strict action against those dumping garbage in the Taimoor Nagar drain and asked the MCD to consider increasing the Rs 500 fine for littering and causing insanitation.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet P S Arora observed that dirtying the drain leads to severe waterlogging in the entire area and asked the civic authority to distribute flyers in the locality on imposition of fines for throwing garbage.
"If any resident in the area is found indulging in dirtying the drain, this court will not hesitate in taking stringent action," the court observed.
"The fine as per the said challan (issued by MCD for littering etc) is of Rs 500, which is also compoundable. Considering that the dirtying of the drain leads to severe waterlogging in the entire area, the fine would also be liable to be increased, if so required. Let the MCD consider the same and place the proposal for increasing the fine amount," it said.
During the hearing, the court orally remarked that the fine should be increased to Rs 5,000.
It directed that local beat constables should be informed of the order so they can ensure compliance.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions on the issue of waterlogging and rainwater harvesting in the national capital during monsoon.
It had earlier directed clearing encroachments along the Taimoor Nagar drain to prevent flooding in the area during the monsoon season.
While hearing the matter on Tuesday, the court noted that the photographs showed that cleanliness in the drain was not being maintained and garbage was being dumped into it.
The MCD counsel stated that garbage was being cleaned daily in both Maharani Bagh and Taimoor Nagar areas, but it was repeatedly seen that there was accumulation of garbage by the residents.
The court sought a compliance report from the authorities regarding its earlier order on imposing stringent fines for throwing garbage in the drain.
It also issued notice to the resident welfare associations in the area and listed the matter for further hearing on July 24.
