Civic Drive to Clear Bengaluru's Vacant Plots Starts August 27, Cost Added to Property Tax

BENGALURU — Following the expiry of the August 22 deadline for property owners to clear vacant sites, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has directed civic officials across the city to identify unattended plots, issue notices to owners, and execute the cleaning work where owners fail to comply.

The civic cleaning drive will begin on August 27 and will be intensified from August 31. The municipal authorities will recover the full expenditure incurred during the operation directly by adding it to the respective owners' property tax bills.

According to the Minister, the recovery charges will vary depending on the site dimensions, ranging from ₹25,900 for a 20x30 plot up to ₹1,74,700 for a 50x80 plot.

Mr. Byre Gowda noted that compliance had been low, with only around 20% of vacant land owners in some areas clearing their plots ahead of the deadline. He stressed that the cleaning of vacant sites cannot be left to chance, reinforcing that costs must be recouped via property tax whenever the civic body steps in.

To support the enforcement drive, civic officials have been instructed to make preparations across Bengaluru. In addition, the public will be involved in flagging unattended sites. The Minister directed officials to develop a dedicated feature on the GBA’s "Clean It" app, enabling residents to report uncleaned vacant plots directly.

Under the new directives, civic teams must maintain strict compliance during operations. Before-and-after video documentation with geo-location is now mandatory for every vacant site cleaned by the civic authorities. The entire end-to-end operation must be recorded on the Clean It software.

Mr. Byre Gowda also instructed officials to ensure that waste and debris cleared from the sites are not dumped along roadsides or onto other vacant plots, directing that all collected waste must be transported strictly to designated disposal locations.