New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has proposed a nearly 50% increase in user charges and penalties under its draft Solid Waste Management (SWM) Bylaws 2026, officials said.
“Considering that the SWM rules provide for a 5% increase in user fee and penalty every year since 2018, we are expecting an increase of around 50% in the fee now.
Officials said the different rates had been proposed to encourage compliance in lower-category colonies. But for the colonies in E-H categories, our focus is right now to increase participation,” said an official. However, residents of colonies falling under categories E to H will pay substantially less than those in A to D categories.
The charges were eventually linked to property tax payments in April 2025, following which residents opposed the move and questioned the quality of sanitation services,” said the official. Officials said MCD was targeting March 2027 for finalisation and implementation of the revised bylaws. “The civic body had notified the solid waste management bylaws in 2018, but the user fee was not actively implemented or collected due to political and logistical issues.
“Cities such as Mumbai, Noida and Gurgaon have not been able to levy these charges fully,” the official said. However, given the past record, enforcing the charges could prove challenging for MCD. Several other cities have also faced similar difficulties.
Its earlier attempts to impose user charges across all categories had faced considerable opposition. The draft bylaws will be first placed before the MCD house and sent for approval to Delhi govt’s urban development department.