Garbage cess is now a reality in Bangalore

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is all set to levy solid-waste management (SWM) cess on the residents. The decision on the garbage cess was taken on Wednesday in the palike council amid objection from the opposition party.

According to the Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules-2000, the local body has to collect garbage from the source, segregate and dispose it scientifically. The BBMP in 2008-09 spent nearly Rs200 crore on solid waste management and the amount keeps increasing every year.

According to the BBMP, it spent Rs88.15 crore on the salaries of the administration and pourakarmikas, Rs111.55 crore on contractors, Rs4.39 crore on transportation and Rs5.84 crore for scientific disposal of garbage.

Under Section 103(A) of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act-1976, a provision has been made under which the corporations can levy solid-waste management cess, not exceeding Rs1,000 a month.

The BBMP says, for the past two years, it has been collecting SWM cess from commercial buildings while giving out trade licences. It has now decided to collect garbage cess from the property cess every year, as it is difficult to collect it monthly.

BBMP opposition leader M Nagaraj raised objection over the collection of the cess from residential buildings. Unhappy with the move, JD(S) leader Padmanabha Reddy raised placards and shouted slogans in the council hall. He said that garbage cess was the New Year gift by the BJP government to Bangaloreans.