Bengaluru: After footpath clearance drive, GBA to launch ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign from August
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Tuesday (July 14) announced that the five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will launch a
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Tuesday (July 14) announced that the five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will launch a ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign to clear legacy waste, including garbage blackspots, across the city. The campaign will follow the footpath clearance drive, which involved removing encroachments and abandoned vehicles. As of July 14, nearly 10,000 encroachments of various kinds by commercial establishments have been cleared. Waste clearance During a meeting with GBA officials, Mr. Gowda directed the officials to prepare a comprehensive plan for a month-long campaign in August to clear garbage, solid waste, construction debris, soil mounds, weeds, and other waste.
He also called for coordination with other departments to clear legacy waste generated by development projects. “Under the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), approximately 22,732 tonnes of waste have been identified across 1,616 locations within the GBA area. A plan must be drawn up to clear it,” he said. In addition, Mr. Gowda said property owners will be given time until August 15 to clear weeds, overgrown vegetation, and waste from their vacant sites. If the sites are not cleaned by the deadline, the respective city corporations will undertake the cleaning and recover the cost by adding it to the property’s tax dues.
In a move to curb the illegal dumping of construction and demolition debris, registration of all vehicles engaged in the work and the installation of GPS tracking devices will be made mandatory. He further directed officials to remove illegal hoardings and crack down on those who have permission for self- but are violating the rules by using them for commercial purposes. Improve property tax collection The Minister asked revenue officials to identify properties that remain outside the property tax net and bring them under the system.
“Detect cases where property tax is being underpaid, revise assessments where necessary, and ensure that all properties within the GBA jurisdiction are assigned Khatas and brought under the system,” he said. He also proposed using data from parastatals to identify properties evading tax and bring them under the system.
The BriefWire