BENGALURU: The Greater Bengaluru Authority’s (GBA) decision to impose a penalty on vacant site owners is set to send shockwaves among residents who have not maintained their empty sites – they will have to pay up to a whopping Rs 1lakh, as per a new GBA proposal.
“Under Clause 18(1)(d)(iii) of the Solid Waste Management Bye-laws, 2020, a penalty of Rs 25,000 shall be imposed for the first violation and Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000 for subsequent violations,” said GBA Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao.
In a release, the GBA chief stated that to make Bengaluru a clean, beautiful and more liveable city, the ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign will be undertaken in August 2026.
As part of this campaign, all five city corporations and other civic agencies functioning under the jurisdiction of the GBA will jointly undertake the removal of black spots, construction and demolition (C&D) waste, debris, tree branches, electric poles, pipes and other waste materials accumulated on city roads.
“Under Clause 18(1)(b) of the Solid Waste Management Bye-laws, 2020, it is the mandatory responsibility of the owners to maintain vacant sites in a clean and hygienic condition.
All owners of vacant sites within the city limits shall mandatorily clear waste, debris and other accumulated waste materials from their properties on or before August 15, 2026,” Rao stated through a release.
If owners fail to clean their vacant sites by August 15, the city corporation concerned shall remove the waste/debris and recover the cost from the property owner.
The recovery shall be based on the extent of the site and quantity of waste removed, in accordance with Clause 18(1)(d)(ii) of the Solid Waste Management Bye-laws, 2020, and Section 285(2) of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, and shall be recovered along with property tax.
In the event of non-payment, dues shall be recovered in accordance with provisions of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, he added.
RWAS WELCOME MOVE
Many Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) have welcomed the proposal, which they feel if strictly implemented, will contain garbage menace on empty sites. Captain Dayalu Arasappa, a representative of an RWA in HBR Layout said, “This is a good move as we are tired of escalating the issue. Health and hygiene was a major concern. Hope owners will wake up now and protect their sites and keep them clean.”
Christopher Cruz, executive member, North East Residential Welfare Association, said, “Residents have complained. We checked with a few owners to keep their sites clean and fenced, but they did not bother. BDA sites on OMBR, Kalyan Nagar and surroundings are lying vacant. We don’t know who the owners are and where they are. In such cases, three years after allotment, as per rules BDA should take back the sites and give them to the next person in the queue. Only if rules are strictly implemented will there be change.”
