Bengaluru, Greater Bengaluru Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Thursday urged vacant-plot owners to clean their properties themselves to avoid higher charges from the civic body.
He was speaking after symbolically launching the civic body’s drive to clean vacant plots at Domlur in the Shantinagar Assembly constituency, following the expiry of the deadline given to property owners under the city-wide ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign.
In a statement, the Greater Bengaluru Authority said it had been carrying out a city-wide drive since July 15, in coordination with various government departments, to clear construction and demolition waste, overgrown vegetation and debris from public spaces.
Owners of private vacant plots were initially given until August 15 to clean their properties, with the deadline later extended by a week to August 22.
During this period, around 30 per cent of owners cleaned their plots themselves, the minister said.
The remaining 70 per cent have not yet undertaken the cleaning. The civic body will therefore begin clearing these plots from Thursday, with the cost recovered from the respective property owners through property tax, he said.
Thanking those who had cleaned their plots, Gowda said keeping vacant properties clean was the responsibility of the owners.
Despite repeated appeals over the past one-and-a-half months, many owners had failed to clean their plots, he said. Overgrown weeds and bushes can lead to problems involving flies, mosquitoes, snakes and rats and also affect the city’s overall sanitation.
“Citizens have been raising questions about this. This drive has been undertaken in the interest of keeping Bengaluru clean and improving the city,” he said.
The minister urged property owners to clean their vacant plots themselves rather than have the civic body undertake the work.
“It will cost you less if you clean your plot yourself than if the civic body does it. Keep your property clean and contribute to improving Bengaluru. I will personally send a letter of appreciation to owners who have cleaned their vacant plots themselves,” he said.
Many vacant plots have extensive overgrowth and require heavy equipment for cleaning, with at least three hours needed to complete the work.
Due to restrictions on the movement of tippers, the waste can be transported for disposal only once a day, the GBA said.
The cleaning charges have been fixed according to the Schedule of Rates and based on the size of the vacant plot, the minister said.
If a compound wall has to be removed to carry out the cleaning, only the prescribed rate will be charged, he said.
Gowda said he had instructed officials not to levy any additional charges on plots with gates.
“No penalty will be imposed when a vacant plot is cleaned for the first time. A penalty will be imposed as per the rules only if the same negligence is repeated,” he said.
Under the Greater Bengaluru Authority Act, keeping vacant plots clean is primarily the responsibility of property owners. Gowda urged owners to clean their plots immediately and ensure they remain well maintained.
The city-wide ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign has resulted in the clearance of 67,152 metric tonnes of C&D waste by the GBA, it said.
The Bengaluru Development Authority cleared 51,323 metric tonnes, followed by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board with 2,800 metric tonnes, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board with 728 metric tonnes, K-RIDE with 560 metric tonnes and the National Highways Authority of India with 169 metric tonnes.
BESCOM has also removed or raised 6,173 poles/rods, while the Metro has cleared 2,143 cubic metres of waste, it said.
With the combined efforts of all departments, a total of 1,22,732 metric tonnes of C&D waste has been cleared so far, officials said.
As part of efforts to create awareness among owners who have failed to maintain their vacant plots and initiate the cleaning process, notices have been affixed to 189 plots across the five city corporations. Cleaning operations have commenced, the GBA added.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
