GHMC imposes over ₹1 crore in fines for garbage and construction waste dumping

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has issued fines exceeding ₹1 crore in an ongoing crackdown on illegal garbage dumping and unauthorised disposal of construction waste across the city.

Over 3,600 challans have been served under the drive, which targets both individual littering and large-scale construction violations. Dumping garbage on the streets can cost offenders anywhere between ₹500 and ₹25,000, while those caught mishandling construction waste risk fines of up to ₹2 lakh, depending on where and how serious the violation is.

Across 30 municipal circles, authorities issued 3,138 challans for garbage-related offences, pulling in ₹58.95 lakh in fines. The challans were issued using GHMC’s Central Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS), which tracks violations and collections in real time. Of the total, ₹22.32 lakh has been recovered from 2,154 violators, while ₹36.62 lakh remains pending from 984 unpaid challans.

Construction waste violations have drawn 522 challans, amounting to ₹46.85 lakh in fines. ₹13.80 lakh has been collected from 218 offenders, with ₹33.05 lakh pending from 304 others.

Assistant city planners under the town planning department are leading the enforcement effort, with commercial establishments and building sites being prioritised.

On average, GHMC officials are slapping fines worth nearly ₹1 lakh every day.

But even as enforcement tightens, residents are pushing back—pointing fingers at the corporation’s own spotty garbage collection efforts. Many say door-to-door pickup is unreliable at best, questioning how penalties can rise while basic services falter.

GHMC hasn’t officially addressed the criticism. For now, special drives are still underway, with officials maintaining that the focus is on improving sanitation and meeting environmental standards.