BENGALURU: With cases of man-animal conflict, especially with leopards, being reported from the city outskirts, several unkept vacant plots in buffer zones have become a matter of concern. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is exploring legal options to impose hefty penalties on such property owners along with their taxes, for not maintaining their sites.
On Wednesday, Karnataka forest department officials had to call for JCBs to clear weeds and vegetation in Krishna Reddy Layout, Hongasandra grama, while trying to capture the elusive wild leopard. This incident raised questions among urban activists and environmentalists on what happened to government orders directing all property owners to maintain properties and keep them clean, failing which they would be penalised.
A senior forest department official said darting and capturing the leopard could have been easier if the area was well maintained. Such places are a safe haven for leopards, and have become a matter of concern. The official added that these places are also home to snakes, posing a threat to citizens, especially children playing around.
After Wednesday’s incident, in which the leopard was shot dead, residents’ welfare associations and politicians, including Anekal and Bommanahalli MLAs, are demanding that the government clean up the spaces at the earliest, and penalise the errant property owners.
In 2018, 2019, 2020 and again in 2022, BBMP had issued orders that all property owners should keep their properties clean and construct boundaries. But BBMP has been unable to implement it because of a lack of database of properties and owner details.
A BBMP official said that orders were issued under the KMC Act, but the new Bengaluru Act does not have this provision. Hence, BBMP issued orders under Solid Waste Management (SWM) rules, explained a BBMP official.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the teams are looking at legal provisions to bring in more stringent rules to take action. Soon, another order will be issued, backed with strict rules. Girinath admitted there are multiple concerns over its implementation, in which case there would be problems in recovering penalty amounts, and these included cases in which land was under dispute or the owners were overseas.
BBMP Special Commissioner, SWM, Harsha Kumar, said the problem is not just on the city outskirts but even in developed layouts like Sadashivanagar, Shanthi Nagar, Cunningham Road and other such places. A meeting to address this was also held 15 days ago, but practical problems need to be addressed. Work on tightening the taxation process and property documentation will also start, he added.