GBA Launches Drive in Domlur to Clear Vacant Plots, Costs to Be Added to Property Tax

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Thursday launched a city-wide drive at Domlur in Shantinagar to clear neglected private vacant plots. The Greater Bengaluru Authority will clear the uncleared sites and recover the expenses directly from property owners through their property tax.

The civic body identified 189 vacant plots across five city corporations after issuing notices to property owners under the city-wide ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign. While approximately 30% of the owners cleaned their properties before the deadline expired, nearly 70% failed to take action, prompting the administration to step in.

Property owners were initially asked to clean their vacant lands by August 15. The civic body subsequently extended the deadline by a week until August 22. Following the expiry of the extended window, the authority began the clearance operations.

Addressing the media after launching the drive, Krishna Byre Gowda clarified that no penalty would be imposed on owners for the first instance of civic cleaning, though the actual clearance costs will be collected through property tax. However, penalties prescribed under the rules will be enforced if the negligence is repeated.

“Despite appeals being made for nearly one-and-a-half months, many people have still not cleaned their plots. Weeds, bushes, and overgrowth in vacant plots are leading to various problems. This is also affecting the overall sanitation of the city,” the Minister said.

The Minister urged plot owners to clean their properties themselves rather than waiting for civic teams to take up the work. He noted that self-cleaning would be less expensive for owners and stated that he would personally send appreciation letters to those who cleaned their plots independently.

According to the Minister, many vacant sites have extensive overgrowth that requires earthmovers and at least three hours of work to clear. Cleaning fees have been fixed according to the Schedule of Rates based on plot size. Under the Greater Bengaluru Authority Act, maintaining vacant plots is the primary responsibility of property owners. Gowda noted that standard rates were established to maintain city cleanliness rather than generate revenue.

Alongside the plot-clearing drive, the Freedom from Waste campaign has cleared 1,22,732 metric tonnes of construction and demolition waste across Bengaluru.