Fines INCREASED: Public urination fine Rs 500, Delhi government raises penalties for civic offences

Civic Offences To Get Costlier In Delhi: Residents and small-scale enterprises may soon face higher penalties for civic violations. Check full list of penalties.

Civic Offences To Get Costlier In Delhi: The Delhi government, as part of its efforts to improve civic sense, has recently proposed an increase in penalties for civic offences. It means residents and small-scale enterprises may face higher penalties for civic violations. To improve civic behaviour in the capital city, the government has proposed a 10-fold increase in fines for offences including urinating in public, littering, putting up posters on walls or monuments and disturbing public peace with loudspeakers. However, the government proposed in Parliament on Friday to decriminalise several minor offences under the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026.

Notably, the Amendment of Provisions covers the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, and the NDMC Act, 1994. Both these acts replace lower penalties with higher penalties, while removing the possibility of jail for minor infractions.

Bill Currently in Parliament: Proposed Changes in Civic Penalties

Offence	Current Penalty	Proposed Penalty
Public nuisance (urination, foul smells)	Rs 50	Rs 500
Unlicensed food vendors/stalls	Rs 100	Rs 1,000
Tethering animals / milking cattle in public	Rs 100 + Rs 5/day	Rs 1,000
Failure to remove filth / waste	Rs 50	Warning, then Rs 500
Hawking without licence	Rs 100	Rs 200
Obstructing municipal officials	Rs 200	Rs 500
Breach of municipal bye-laws	Rs 500–1,500 + 3-month imprisonment	Rs 500
Minor civic offences	Rs 25–50	Nil — Decriminalised

Emergency at Delhi Airport: IndiGo flight reports suspected engine failure, staff on high alert

Delhi Proposes Higher Civic Fines: Structured System to Replace Nominal Charges

According to the DMC Act, it is proposed that the nominal penalties to be replaced with structured fines. Such as avoiding to remove filth, currently attracting a fine of Rs 50, will be given a warning, then Rs 500 penalty. Civic offences such as public urination or nuisance (earlier fined up to Rs 50) may attract Rs 500. Penalties for other minor offences are also proposed to be increased.

Add India.com as a Preferred Source

Other offences, such as a pet dog roaming without a leash, will increase from Rs 50 to Rs 1,000. Fine for defacing a house number (earlier fine Rs 50) will rise to Rs 1,000.

Delhi Proposes Higher Civic Fines: Penalties Up to Rs 5,000 for Obstructions, Unsafe Structures

Penalties for not vacating a structure (which is announced as dangerous) or occupying a building without a completion certificate increase up to Rs 1,000. Erecting structures that come between streets or obstructing roads without permission will now incur a fine up to Rs 5,000

Key Changes Under NDMC Act

Category	Details
Decriminalisation	145 provisions decriminalised
Converted Penalties	68 provisions converted from fines/imprisonment to monetary penalties
Penal Clauses Removed	26 provisions removed entirely
Hawking Without Licence	Warning for first offence, Rs 200 penalty thereafter
Selling Without Permission	Warning for first offence, Rs 200 penalty thereafter
Running Eatery Without Licence	Rs 1,000 fine
Misuse of Domestic Water	Warning first, then fine increased from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000
Imprisonment	Jail provisions removed for offences
Property Tax Reform	Unit Area Method (UAM) to replace annual rental value system

Delhi Proposes Higher Civic Fines: Livelihood Violations

Running food stalls without a permit may attract a heavy fine of Rs 1,000. Fines for a butcher shop, fishmongers, or poultry sellers without a licence will increase from Rs 200.

Tethering animals or milking cattle on public streets may now attract Rs 1,000.“In several cases, daily fines are proposed to be replaced with one-time penalties. For instance, using unlicensed slaughterhouses or markets, earlier attracting ₹500 plus daily fines, will now incur a flat ₹500 penalty,” said the official.

The bill removes jail terms for minor offences.
One month’s jail for municipal sweepers for leaving their jobs without notice will be scrapped.
Violating municipal bye-laws, earlier three months in jail, will now attract a fine of up to Rs 500.
Some minor offences will be fully decriminalised with zero fines.
Provisions related to market regulation are also proposed for omission.

Source link

The Times Of Bengal