Tribune India: Punjab: Thursday,
January 29, 2026.
All 166 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Punjab, including municipal councils and municipal corporations, are collectively paying a daily penalty of around Rs 10 lakh for failing to comply with solid waste management and legacy waste remediation norms.
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The penalties are
being paid as environmental compensation to the Punjab Pollution Control Board
(PPCB), according to information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI)
Act. The fines have been imposed for continued violation of the Solid Waste Management
Rules, 2016, and for non-compliance with repeated directions issued by the
National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Official documents reveal that most civic bodies have failed to prepare or submit proposals for scientific processing and disposal of solid waste since April 1, 2020, despite repeated reminders and notices.
Under the NGT-approved framework, each ULB is liable to pay environmental compensation based on its population. Municipalities with a population above 10 lakh are required to pay Rs 10 lakh per month, those with a population between 5 lakh and 10 lakh are charged Rs 5 lakh per month, while other ULBs are required to pay Rs 1 lakh per month.
On an average, the PPCB has been imposing penalties of nearly Rs 3 crore per month on ULBs across the state for non-compliance since July 1, 2020. Between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2025, the PPCB imposed a cumulative environmental compensation of Rs 170.12 crore on all 166 ULBs. During this period, the pollution board issued seven notices to the Local Government Department, urging corrective action.
Year-wise details of the penalties reveal that Rs 31.84 crore was imposed between July 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. This was followed by penalties of Rs 35.26 crore from April 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022; Rs 50.43 crore from March 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023 (a period of 19 months); Rs 14.76 crore from October 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024; Rs 7.65 crore from April 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024; Rs 15.12 crore from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024; and Rs 15.06 crore from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025.
Sources said the persistent failure of ULBs to establish waste processing facilities, ensure segregation at source and clear legacy dump sites poses a serious threat to public health, groundwater and the environment. The PPCB has warned that continued non-compliance could invite further penalties and legal action.
Advocate Kamal Anand, who obtained the information under the RTI Act, criticised the civic bodies for their “irresponsible and negligent attitude”. “Instead of investing in proper management and disposal of solid waste, municipalities in the state are paying an average of Rs 10 lakh per day as compensation. This ultimately burdens taxpayers,” he said. “At the same time, residents continue to face serious health hazards due to mounting heaps of garbage in almost every part of the state,” added Anand.
Maximum dues on Ludhiana, Amritsar MCs
The Ludhiana and Amritsar Municipal Corporations have accumulated the highest environmental compensation dues of Rs 6 crore each, followed by the Jalandhar MC at Rs 3 crore.
All 166 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Punjab, including municipal councils and municipal corporations, are collectively paying a daily penalty of around Rs 10 lakh for failing to comply with solid waste management and legacy waste remediation norms.
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Official documents reveal that most civic bodies have failed to prepare or submit proposals for scientific processing and disposal of solid waste since April 1, 2020, despite repeated reminders and notices.
Under the NGT-approved framework, each ULB is liable to pay environmental compensation based on its population. Municipalities with a population above 10 lakh are required to pay Rs 10 lakh per month, those with a population between 5 lakh and 10 lakh are charged Rs 5 lakh per month, while other ULBs are required to pay Rs 1 lakh per month.
On an average, the PPCB has been imposing penalties of nearly Rs 3 crore per month on ULBs across the state for non-compliance since July 1, 2020. Between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2025, the PPCB imposed a cumulative environmental compensation of Rs 170.12 crore on all 166 ULBs. During this period, the pollution board issued seven notices to the Local Government Department, urging corrective action.
Year-wise details of the penalties reveal that Rs 31.84 crore was imposed between July 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. This was followed by penalties of Rs 35.26 crore from April 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022; Rs 50.43 crore from March 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023 (a period of 19 months); Rs 14.76 crore from October 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024; Rs 7.65 crore from April 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024; Rs 15.12 crore from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024; and Rs 15.06 crore from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025.
Sources said the persistent failure of ULBs to establish waste processing facilities, ensure segregation at source and clear legacy dump sites poses a serious threat to public health, groundwater and the environment. The PPCB has warned that continued non-compliance could invite further penalties and legal action.
Advocate Kamal Anand, who obtained the information under the RTI Act, criticised the civic bodies for their “irresponsible and negligent attitude”. “Instead of investing in proper management and disposal of solid waste, municipalities in the state are paying an average of Rs 10 lakh per day as compensation. This ultimately burdens taxpayers,” he said. “At the same time, residents continue to face serious health hazards due to mounting heaps of garbage in almost every part of the state,” added Anand.
Maximum dues on Ludhiana, Amritsar MCs
The Ludhiana and Amritsar Municipal Corporations have accumulated the highest environmental compensation dues of Rs 6 crore each, followed by the Jalandhar MC at Rs 3 crore.
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