BENGALURU: BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said on Monday that the palike has a proposal to impose a cess of Rs 12 per kg of garbage on bulk generators of waste.
Addressing the media here, he said this is because many apartment complexes, hotels and malls generate more than 100 kg of waste daily and send it to BBMP’s compactors, increasing the burden on landfills and the garbage collection system. The proposed cess is to regulate them. The proposal has been sent to the state government for approval, he said.
If bulk generators of waste fail to declare details, palike will double the cess amount per kg up to four months under the solid waste management rules. They have to find a solution to tackle the issue. “We are talking to bulk waste generators such as apartment complexes, hotels and industries. We will get them listed with empanelled processors. If this happens, the city will also benefit,” Girinath said.
‘Hotels will have to pay Rs 35k/month’
Girinath said that there was a notification six months ago, asking bulk garbage generators to declare the type and quantity of waste they generated. “They have been sending waste to our system without making any payment. Huge quantities of waste went to landfills, impacting them badly. The bulk generators are misusing the system,” Girinath added.
It is said that the Palike is collecting data from Bescom. There are 46 lakh power connections and based on this, the palike may find more bulk generators. It is likely to impose between Rs 200 and 300 every month on individual homes as cess in the coming days.
Expressing shock over the palike move, Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels’ Associations (BBHA) said, earlier Rs 50 paise was charged per kg of waste. If the proposed cess comes into effect, a small hotel owners will end up paying Rs 35,000 every month. The palike should convene a meeting of all stakeholders soon in this regard.
“We have 2,000 members and the association will hold a meeting on Wednesday. After the meeting, we will give representations to the government and BBMP,” said PC Rao, president of BBHA.