Panchayats to adopt rules within six months; focus on waste segregation, user charges, and penalties
Shimla – The Himachal Pradesh government has issued new model bye-laws for Solid Waste Management and Sanitation-2025 to tackle the growing problem of waste in rural areas. These bye-laws have been framed under Section 188 of the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, and aim to strengthen sanitation services across all Gram Panchayats.
According to a spokesperson of the Rural Development Department, all panchayats have been directed to adopt these model bye-laws within six months. The provisions focus on proper segregation of waste at source, door-to-door collection, recovery of user charges from every household and establishment, and the imposition of penalties for violations.
The spokesperson said that the funds collected through user charges and penalties will be used for the operation and maintenance of sanitation assets and to hire manpower for daily waste collection. Panchayats have also been given flexibility to determine the amount of user charges and penalties based on local conditions.
The new guidelines make it mandatory for panchayats to arrange door-to-door collection of waste through waste pickers or authorised agencies. The collected waste will be transferred to segregation sheds set up at the panchayat level. Recyclable plastic waste will be sold to recyclers, while non-recyclable waste will be sent to block-level plastic waste management units and eventually forwarded to cement plants for co-processing.
The department has already entered into formal agreements with cement plants to ensure environmentally safe disposal of non-recyclable plastic waste. The implementation of these bye-laws is expected to make rural areas cleaner and more sustainable, while also ensuring that state financial support for sanitation is properly utilised.
The spokesperson added that the bye-laws will not only improve service delivery but also encourage community participation in waste management. Citizens will be able to demand regular services, and panchayats will be expected to ensure timely and efficient execution.
