BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is all set to bring back its rule of penalising irresponsible site owners who do not keep their site clean as a result of which it turns into a dump yard. Palike Special Commissioner for Solid Waste Management Harish Kumar said criminal cases will be filed against such owners.
Speaking to media, the officer said that the rule exists but due to Covid-19 pandemic it was not being strictly implemented. With the number of garbage pileup cases increasing, the Palike will impose a penalty for the offence committed for the first two times and for the third time, a criminal case will be filed at the nearest police station. “For the first two times, only a penalty will be imposed and will be collected along with property tax. For the third time, a criminal case will be filed at the nearest police station”, said the special commissioner.
The ward engineers on round are supposed to keep a watch on such properties and also take complaints from neighbours and residents in this regard.D S Rajashekhar, Banaswadi resident and president of Bengaluru Praja Vedike welcomed the decision. He also pointed that if all garbage is collected at source and if there is no payment pending for pourakarmikas and contractors, the garbage coming to empty sites will reduce.
Srikanth Narasimhan from Bengaluru Navanirmana Party said, “I support imposition of penalty only on vacant plot owners who have not fenced their properties which leads to people dumping garbage there. However, it is unfair to penalise them if they have properly fenced their plot. BBMP should also install CCTV cameras in key locations”, he added.