A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking a directive to stop the collection of monthly fees for waste removal via vans in the two city corporation areas of Dhaka.
The petitioner contends that since money is already collected for this service through holding taxes, the additional monthly charge is not legally sustainable. Salah Uddin Reagan, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the petition with relevant branch of the High Court on Sunday.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), and the chief executive officers of both corporations, among others, have been named as respondents.
The petition argues that Dhaka North and South city corporations already collect funds for waste removal and related services under the framework of holding taxes. In this context, the monthly fees charged for collecting waste from households via van services amount to double taxation and must be stopped.
Reagan said 7 per cent of the holding tax is specifically allocated for waste removal.
Despite this, various households are being charged an additional Tk100, Tk200, or Tk300 per month. He further said that while approximately Tk450 crore to Tk500 crore is collected annually in this manner, these funds are not deposited into the city corporations’ accounts.
The lawyer said preparations have been made to present the writ for a hearing before the High Court bench comprising justices Razik-Al-Jalil and Debasish Roy Chowdhury.
The writ also mentions that attempts were made to resolve the matter administratively before seeking the court’s intervention. Separate applications were submitted to the administrators of Dhaka North and South city corporations on 10 June, requesting an end to the collection of waste bills from households.
Subsequently, a legal notice was sent this month to the local government secretary and other relevant parties. The writ was ultimately filed as no visible action was taken following the notice.
