Bengaluru: Empty plot owners oppose hefty penalty for uncleared garbage
Empty plot owners in Bengaluru are outraged over the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s (GBA) plan to levy a hefty penalty of up to ₹1 lakh if
Empty plot owners in Bengaluru are outraged over the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s (GBA) plan to levy a hefty penalty of up to ₹1 lakh if they fail to clear garbage and debris from their sites by August 15. They argue that waste and debris are being dumped on their plots due to gaps in the GBA’s waste collection and disposal system, and that they cannot be held responsible for it. “I have a site in a private layout near Yelahanka where I am yet to build a house. I live in south Bengaluru and cannot keep watch over it every day. I have put up a compound wall and a board asking people not to dump waste, yet the site has become a dumping yard. Cleaning it repeatedly is a drain on my pocket.
Now, the GBA wants to levy a fine of up to ₹1 lakh on me. What is my fault here?” lamented Shylaja Rao, a resident of Kathriguppe. S. Chandramouli, another site owner in south Bengaluru, argued that blackspots are created when door-to-door waste collection is irregular or when collectors arrive during residents’ office hours. Residents, left with no other option, dump waste at such locations, and vacant plots easily turn into blackspots. People also dump construction and demolition (C&D) waste there, he said. “Clearly, my site is becoming a blackspot because of gaps in the systems put in place — or the lack of them — by the civic body. Why am I expected to clean up their mess and also pay a fine of up to ₹1 lakh if I fail to do so?” he asked.
SWM user fee Moreover, the GBA has been collecting a Solid Waste Management (SWM) user fee for empty plots at the rate of 60 paise per sq. ft. along with property tax since April 2025, even though such plots do not generate any waste, they pointed out. “We pay an SWM user fee despite not generating any waste, and now I will be penalised for not cleaning it up myself,” rued Mr. Chandramouli. Srikanth Narasimhan of Bengaluru Navanirmana Party (BNP) said they had flagged the SWM user fee from empty plot owners last year, but it was not addressed by the government. “When I pay a user fee, I expect some service from the GBA. A plot owner is responsible for keeping it clean, but we need to acknowledge that the problem lies elsewhere within the GBA’s court,” he said, adding that the severely short-staffed GBA also did not have the capacity to identify all such sites, clean them, and impose penalties.
As per law However, a senior GBA official defended the move, stating that it was in accordance with the law and that asking plot owners to keep their sites clean was not a tall ask. The official pointed out that Clause 18(1)(b) of the Solid Waste Management Bye-laws, 2020, makes it mandatory for owners to maintain vacant sites in a clean and hygienic condition. He added that the penalty is being imposed under the same bye-laws and that the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, also contains provisions for such action.
The BriefWire