Bengaluru residents to pay more for disposing trash, BBMP levies 'garbage cess'; BJP slams Congress govt

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 1 (ANI): The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has implemented a "garbage cess" under which the residents of Bengaluru will have to pay a solid waste management user fee effective from April 1.
After hike in the rate of milk, electricity, BBMP has now decided to enforce a new tax. The BBMP has decided to raise the cost of garbage and disposal every month and a "garbage cess" is being implemented in Bangalore starting from today.
The solid waste management company will now make a cess on trash every month. Different types of tax are being levied for shops, hotels, and residential buildings.
According to BBMP, hotels previously paid Rs 5 per kg of garbage. The cess has now been raised to Rs 12.
The cess rate is set for residential buildings in the square feet of the building. Buildings ranging upto 600 square feet will have to pay Rs 10 per month while buildings ranging from 600 square feet to 1000 square feet will have to pay Rs 50.
Building ranging from 1000-2000 square feet will have to pay Rs 100 per month while it is Rs 150 per month for buildings from 2000-3000 square feet.
Rs 200 will be collected per month for buildings from 3000-4000 square feet while Rs 400 will be collected per month for buildings above 4000 square feet.
BBMP will pay trash tax annually in property tax. The new decision of the BBMP is expected to raise Rs 600 crore annually. It has come forward to raise money from various sources to fill the coffers.
In the meanwhile, Karnataka LoP and BJP MLA R Ashoka slammed for the government for implementing the 'garbage cess'. Hitting out at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over this tax, Ashoka questioned if this is being collected to "get the CM's chair".
In a social media post on X, Ashoka wrote, "The government, which failed to dispose of Bengaluru's garbage and turned Silicon City into a garbage city @INCKarnataka has now fixed fees for garbage collection as well. It seems that they have decided to fill their coffers in the name of garbage disposal by promising to make Bangalore City a garbage-free city. DCM @DKShivakumar Sir, they robbed in the name of brand Bangalore, now they loot in the name of garbage too? Is this Bihar election expenditure or a bribe to get the CM's chair?"

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಕಸ ವಿಲೇವಾರಿ ಮಾಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಫಲವಾಗಿ, ಸಿಲಿಕಾನ್ ಸಿಟಿಯನ್ನು ಗಾರ್ಬೇಜ್‌ ಸಿಟಿ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದ @INCKarnataka ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಇದೀಗ ಕಸ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಣೆಗೂ ಶುಲ್ಕ ಫಿಕ್ಸ್ ಮಾಡಿದೆ.

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಸಿಟಿಯನ್ನು ಕಸಮುಕ್ತ ಸಿಟಿಯನ್ನಾಗಿಸುವುದಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿ ಕಸ ವಿಲೇವಾರಿ ಹೆಸರಲ್ಲಿ ಬೊಕ್ಕಸ ತುಂಬಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿದಂತಿದೆ.

ಡಿಸಿಎಂ @DKShivakumar… pic.twitter.com/afDjrPm7qX

— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) April 1, 2025

Earlier on March 27, the Karnataka government announced a Rs 4 per litre price hike for Nandini milk and curd, effective April 1. This decision was made during a Cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The decision was made during a Cabinet meeting held by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The move aims to encourage dairy farming in the state, considering the cost of milk production and processing.
Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) Chairman Bheema Naik defended the state government's move to increase the price of Nandini milk by Rs 4 per litre, stating that the additional cost would go directly to the farmers.
"We were selling milk in Karnataka at a price lower than that elsewhere in the country. KMF procures 86 lakh-1 crore (milk) every day. 1 litre of milk is sold at Rs 42 (Karnataka). In Gujarat, it is Rs 53, in Andhra & Telangana, it is Rs 58, in Delhi and Maharashtra, it is Rs 56, in Kerala, it is Rs 54. This decision has been taken in the interest of herders. These 4 Rupees are going to farmers," he told ANI. (ANI)