Citizens to pay for BMP’s ‘generosity’

Citizens to pay for BMP’s ‘generosity’
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) would spend Rs 85.5 crore per year for the new garbage contracts and this lavishness would be financed by property owners - by paying cess in addition to property tax.

The solid waste management (SWM) cess that the civic body proposes to collect from property owners would be Rs 168 crore per year. And that is a conservative estimate.

With increase in number of properties under Bruhat BMP, it could be much more.

The government amended Karnataka Municipal Corporation Rules in March 2004, to facilitate collection of SWM cess on buildings and infrastructure cess on vehicles.

Though the owners are required to file cess returns with BMP periodically, there seems to be little wisdom in spending from these accounts.

The civic body seems to have capitalised on Rule 19B(1) which says that BMP could entrust garbage management to contractors who would also collect the monthly cess.

Though the contractors are more than happy about inflated service charges they are being paid, they resisted collection of cess from households. Apparently, they fear to face the public they serve every month.

But the citizen groups and private agencies could defeat BMP’s extravagance with public money.

Rule 19B(2) says that if any other private agency or resident welfare associations take up management of garbage, such agency would also collect the cess.