Religious places to pay user fee for social events

CUTTACK: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) had decided to collect user fees from religious institutions under its jurisdiction to recoup the expenses incurred by the civic body towards cleaning the waste generated by them.

An order of the CMC said, as per the decision taken at a special meeting of the corporators, user fees will be collected from temples and other religious institutions where marriage functions, thread and ring ceremonies, birthdays and other social events are being organised.

An officer of the civic body has been assigned the charge of maintaining a register. The officer will ensure collection of user fees and report to the deputy commissioner (Revenue) at regular intervals.

Sources in CMC said there are several temples and other religious institutions in the city where social functions and events along with feats are being organised. After the feasts, waste materials like plates and cups are dumped along the roads and in Mahanadi river, leading to pollution of environment.