Cleanliness to come at a price

Commercial units first in line; domestic consumers to be billed after three months

FAISALABAD:

The Faisalabad Waste Management Company (FWMC) will begin collecting a cleanliness fee from residents and business owners across the division from September 1.

A surcharge of Rs10 will be imposed on defaulters.

The Punjab cabinet had approved the introduction of a cleanliness fee earlier this year, following the launch of the South Punjab Programme in 2024.

FWMC spokesperson Mateeb Virk told The Express Tribune that the recovery process would be carried out in phases, beginning with commercial consumers.

He said around 81,000 commercial units have been registered in Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, and Jhang.

Registration of domestic consumers is underway and their fee collection will commence after three months.

According to the company, commercial consumers have been divided into three categories: small (shops), medium (schools, colleges) and large (warehouses, power looms).

In urban areas, the monthly tariff has been set at Rs500, Rs1,000 and Rs3,000 respectively, while in rural areas the rates will be Rs300, Rs700, and Rs2,000.

For domestic consumers in urban areas, the fee will be Rs300 per month for a 5-marla house, Rs500 for 5-10 marlas, Rs1,000 for 10-20 marlas, Rs2,000 for 20-40 marlas, and Rs5,000 for houses above 40 marlas.

In rural areas, the fee will be Rs200 for 10-marla houses and Rs400 for houses above 10 marlas.

FWMC Finance Manager Ahsan Nadeem said the Punjab government is drafting additional legislation on enforcement and penalties for non-payment.

Contractors will be responsible for distributing bills and ensuring recovery, and will face heavy fines or deductions for failure to meet targets.

He added that municipal inspectors may be deputed temporarily until FWMC recruits its own enforcement staff.

These inspectors will be authorized to impose fines on individuals found littering.