Vacant sites full of overgrowth and garbage is a common sight in the city. Though the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had issued directions urging vacant site owners to clear the sites, nothing came of it.
On Tuesday, Hebbal MLA Katta Subramanya Naidu and BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah met over this issue again. They discussed the need for a policy. BBMP officials told The Hindu they would table it at the next Council meeting.
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Considering there is no system in place, there is a need to decide on the quantum of fine and the frequency of cleaning the sites. “Norms have to be framed especially for revenue sites on the city's outskirts and for disputed sites. For some properties, there are no records while the owners of a few sites are not in the city/country,” officials said.
Clearing the sites will be a burden on the civic authority and the meeting deliberated on how the BBMP will benefit from undertaking such a chore.
The Council will have to pass a resolution and send it to the State Government for approval.
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The BBMP had issued a diktat to vacant site owners under section 463 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976. Besides this, several circulars have been issued by the BBMP Commissioner. Recently, the BBMP had stated that it would charge Rs. 1.10 to clear one sq. m and Rs. 68 to transport every cubic metre of waste collected from the sites. If the civic authority has to do it all over again, the charges will triple. The officials were then instructed to collect the charges along with the property tax.
Mr. Naidu directed Mr. Siddaiah to prepare a detailed project report for railway under-bridges at Vishwanatha Nagenahalli, Nagashettihalli and Lottegollahalli.