Clean it or pay for it: Bengaluru civic body sets 30-day deadline to vacant plot owners

2 min readBengaluruJul 15, 2026 09:08 AM IST

Bengaluru Urban Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda also announced a month-long Freedom from Waste campaign in August. (Express File Photo/Representative Image)

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Tuesday set a one-month deadline for owners of vacant plots to clear weeds, overgrown vegetation, and waste from their properties before August 15, failing which the civic body will clean the sites and recover the cost.

During a meeting with officials of all five city corporations, Bengaluru Urban Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda also announced a month-long Freedom from Waste campaign in August.

“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,” Gowda said.

“The objective is to completely remove garbage, solid waste, construction debris, soil mounds, weeds, and other waste materials,” he added.

While irregular garbage collection in many areas of the city has been a major contributor to waste being thrown into empty plots, many of them have been left unattended, allowing weeds and vegetation to grow. They have also been used as a dumping ground for garbage and construction debris.

Freedom from Waste campaign

GBA will launch the month-long campaign throughout August to address complaints of illegal garbage dumping.

“To enhance Bengaluru’s cleanliness and aesthetics, the City Corporations, K-RIDE, Railways, metro, and other departments should coordinate and jointly implement the campaign during August,” Gowda said.

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Gowda said all vehicles engaged in transporting construction and demolition (C&D) waste must be compulsorily registered and installation of GPS tracking devices in all such vehicles will also be mandatory.

Under the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), approximately 22,732 tonnes of waste have been identified across 1,616 locations within GBA’s jurisdiction.