Peshawar imposes first monthly sanitation fee

The Peshawar city administration has enforced a monthly sanitation (cleaning) fee with effect from October 1. Notices have been issued to residential and commercial properties, hotels and other large business centres regarding the newly fixed charges. Under the new structure, houses in residential areas will be charged a monthly sanitation fee ranging from Rs100 to Rs200 depending on the size of the property. Commercial shops will pay a fixed monthly fee of Rs250. Hotels, petrol pumps and other major business establishments located in the Peshawar city area will be charged Rs1,000 per month. Notices have also been served on private schools and other large institutions for the monthly sanitation fee. However, mosques, madrasas, government schools and certain other specified institutions have been exempted from the levy. This is the first time a sanitation fee has been imposed in Peshawar city. Survey work is currently underway in various localities, and dozens of business centres across the city have already been brought under the new fee regime.