Pune: Littering Despite Rs 1.87 Crore Fines, PMC Plans Higher Penalties
Pune, 29th September 2026: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is preparing to tighten the noose on people who litter, spit, urinate or dump garbage and construction debris in public places, with a proposal to increase the existing fines that have remained unchanged for nearly a decade.
The civic administration has initiated the process of revising the penalties, which could make violations considerably more expensive. The move comes despite the PMC collecting more than Rs 1.87 crore in fines in the first eight months of 2026, as instances of open dumping and public littering continue to be reported across the city.
At present, fines for various forms of littering and public nuisance range from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000, while garbage burning can attract a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and dumping construction debris can invite a penalty of up to Rs 25,000.
The existing rates were fixed under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and have now remained in place for nearly 10 years. The PMC’s solid waste management department has proposed revising them. A decision will be taken after discussions with municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram.
According to PMC data, the civic body carried out 16,532 penal actions between January and August 2026, recovering Rs 1,87,82,325 in fines.
The largest number of actions — 11,499 — was against people for littering in public places, generating Rs 90.36 lakh in fines. Another 256 actions were taken against people dumping construction debris in open areas, with Rs 46.44 lakh recovered.
Under its anti-plastic drive, the PMC took 591 actions, seized 3,416.9kg of plastic and collected Rs 31.51 lakh in fines.
For public urination, 2,821 actions resulted in the recovery of Rs 5.73 lakh.
The civic body also took 49 actions for burning garbage and collected Rs 3.30 lakh in fines. A further 188 actions against spitting in public places resulted in Rs 1.87 lakh being recovered, while 1,006 citizens were fined Rs 2.84 lakh for failing to hand over wet and dry waste separately.
May recorded the highest monthly fine collection, with the PMC recovering Rs 36.71 lakh. February saw the highest number of challans, with 2,963 receipts issued.
Despite the sizeable amount collected through enforcement drives, civic officials acknowledge that littering and dumping in public spaces continue to be a concern. The proposed hike in penalties is aimed at making financial deterrence stronger and improving compliance with the city’s waste management rules.
