Freedom from Waste: 70% fail to clean vacant plots, GBA to bill owners through property tax

Updated - August 27, 2026 09:41 pm IST - Bengaluru

Owners of private vacant plots were initially asked to clean their properties by August 15. The deadline was subsequently extended by a week until August 22. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Thursday launched a city-wide drive to clear sites left uncleared by their owners. The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will recover the cleaning costs from property owners through their property tax.

The civic body has identified 189 such vacant plots across the five city corporations after issuing notices to their owners. While around 30% of owners cleaned their plots before the deadline, nearly 70% failed to do so, the Minister said. He was addressing the media after launching the drive at Domlur in Shantinagar, following the expiry of the deadline for the city-wide ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign.

Owners of private vacant plots were initially asked to clean their properties by August 15. The deadline was subsequently extended by a week until August 22.

The cost of cleaning plots where owners failed to act will be recovered through property tax. However, Mr. Gowda clarified that no penalty would be imposed for the first instance of cleaning; penalties prescribed under the rules will apply only if the negligence is repeated.

“Despite appeals being made for nearly one-and-a-half months, many people have still not cleaned their plots. Weeds, bushes, and overgrowth in vacant plots are leading to various problems. This is also affecting the overall sanitation of the city,” he said.

The Minister requested owners to clean their plots themselves rather than wait for the civic body to 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,” he said, adding that he would personally send letters of appreciation to owners who cleaned their plots themselves.

The Minister said many vacant plots have extensive overgrowth requiring earthmovers, taking at least three hours to clear. Cleaning charges have been fixed according to the Schedule of Rates and will depend on the plot size, he said, noting that under the Greater Bengaluru Authority Act, maintaining vacant plots is a primary responsibility of property owners. “The government is not trying to make any money; our aim is to ensure the city looks clean. The rates are fixed according to standard norms.”

Meanwhile, the Freedom from Waste campaign has led to the clearance of 1,22,732 metric tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste across the city.

Published - August 27, 2026 09:22 pm IST

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