Clean up vacant sites, else pay five times

Clean up vacant sites, else pay five times
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has new plans to try and retain Bangalore’s epithet of the Garden City.

It has come up with a directive to owners of vacant sites to clean up the garbage and undergrowth failing which the BMP will clean up the sites and recover the costs from the owners.

BMP Commissioner K Jairaj said that vacant sites are often the breeding grounds for mosquitoes and stagnant water that could lead to dengue and malaria. ‘‘Public notices have been issued and the owners need to act within the fortnight, after which the BMP will clean the sites. We will then charge the owners five times the administrative charges,’’ he said.

BMP has asked health officials to conduct a survey of the sites. According to estimates, the number of vacant sites around the city is above 4,000 - about 40 in each of the 100 wards in the city.