GBA Directs Bengaluru Vacant Site Owners to Clear Waste by August 15 or Face Fees

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has warned vacant site owners in Bengaluru that they face charges between ₹25,900 and ₹1.75 lakh if they fail to clear garbage and debris from their properties by August 15. GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao directed all owners to clean their plots, warning that civic bodies will execute the work and recover the charges directly alongside property taxes.

The directive forms part of the GBA’s month-long ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign being conducted across the city during August. Under the Solid Waste Management Bye-laws, 2020, property owners are legally responsible for maintaining vacant sites in a clean and hygienic condition.

The GBA has outlined specific fee structures based on site dimensions. For a 20x30 sq. ft. vacant plot, cleaning charges are set at ₹6,700 for sites without a compound wall and ₹7,700 for those with one, along with transportation charges reaching up to ₹19,200. For a 50x80 sq. ft. site, transportation costs alone will reach up to ₹1.28 lakh. The GBA noted that charges will be proportionately higher for sites exceeding these specified measurements.

Property owners have been instructed to clear waste and dispose of it strictly at locations designated by local municipal corporations, or by hiring agencies officially notified by the respective authorities.

The decision has faced strong opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka termed the move an "anti-people move" and described the charges as exorbitant. Characterizing the policy as a "new loot" by the Congress government, Ashoka questioned whether the administration was using vacant land as a source of revenue.

Directing his questions at Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Ashoka asked why the administration was cutting into the pockets of residents in the name of cleanliness, adding that new taxes and cesses had already been imposed across the state.