The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has framed new waste management byelaws for Lutyens’ Delhi, requiring four-way segregation at source, raising monthly user charges and increasing fines for sanitation violations. The council approved the regulations after which they will be sent to the Union home ministry for final notification.

The proposed framework introduces community patrollers and cleanliness committees to monitor compliance across the NDMC area. It also defines primary collection as the removal of segregated waste from households and other generators to secondary storage or transfer points. Vehicles used for door-to-door collection will have four separate compartments, with one helper assigned to each vehicle to support segregation.

Monthly charges for residential units up to 50 square metres will double to Rs. 100 from Rs. 50. Plots measuring 50 to 200 square metres will be charged Rs. 200 instead of Rs. 100, while units above 200 square metres will pay Rs. 300, compared with Rs. 200 under the 2018 notification.

Street vendors will pay Rs. 200 a month, up from Rs. 100, while guest houses and dharamshalas will be charged Rs. 3,000 instead of Rs. 2,000. Restaurants with up to 50 seats will pay Rs. 3,000, while those with larger seating capacity will pay Rs. 4,500. The council has linked the fees to the category of waste generator and the services provided.

Fines for non-segregation will rise to Rs. 500 for households, Rs. 7,500 for commercial establishments and Rs. 15,000 for marriage and banquet halls. Open burning will attract a Rs. 7,500 penalty, while vendors who fail to dispose of waste properly will face a Rs. 500 fine. Resident welfare associations, market associations and hotels may be fined Rs. 15,000, Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 74,000, respectively, for non-compliance. The rules aim to prioritise segregation, recovery, recycling and decentralised processing, leaving only unavoidable residual waste for final disposal.