Govt begins fines for littering & plastic ban violations
Times of India | 2 September 2026
Kolkata: The govt has started penalising people for spitting, littering, open urination and defecation in public along with crackdown on using banned plastic bags kicking off on Tuesday. Ward-wise civic teams that are being formed to keep tabs on violations will collect fines through an app, according to state urban development and municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul. The minister said the govt would do away with open vats and also install dustbins at markets and railway stations.
âWe are installing vending machines in different markets. We will not keep dustbins in residential areas; we will keep them in markets and railway stations. There will be no open garbage dumps or vats and dustbins will be put in place at the markets. The civic bodyâs conservancy will clean them away,â Paul said.
The minister added, âWe are yet to be fully prepared and instructions have been given to set up dustbins, urinals, and toilets. The process to impose a penalty for violating the ban starts from today. Taking penalties is not our motive, rather the move aims at creating awareness among citizens. We want to see a visible difference within a year.â She referred to Indore, calling it âa small city that wins the prize every year for being a clean city (Swachh Clean City).â
The minister reiterated a warning of âstern actionâ for manufacturers of banned plastic and she stated that the govt would also install vending machines at markets for people to buy cloth bags. âNirmal Bandhu conservancy workers will conduct the drive across the state. In each urban local body there will be two workers and the police have also been asked to check if there is any violation,â Paul said.
According to officials, the fine to be collected will go to the municipality concerned. âThe process of installing dustbins and toilets is going on. Cloth bag vending machines have already been installed at five places under Howrah Municipal Corporation and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. Another machine will be installed in Kolkata where one will get a cloth bag in lieu of a plastic bottle,â said an official.
A QR code will be placed on every house and conservancy workers will have to scan it after collecting waste. âBy the end of the year, geo-tagging and QR codes will be in place. Nirmal Saths will have machines in hand to scan the QR codes, which will automatically log attendance,â said the minister and announced that a drive has been taken to eradicate legacy waste in each district by 2027.