Bengaluru civic officials on Wednesday evening carried out raids across five zones of the city and fined top restaurants and bars for using plastic and not segregating waste. The raided establishments included outlets of KFC, Cafe Coffee Day, Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B).
Other popular names that were raided included The Underground, Drava pub, Meghana Foods.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Additional Commissioner D Randeep said that a total of Rs 14.42 lakh of penalties were levied on establishments for the same and four establishments were shut. A total of 1,074 kg of plastic was seized. The raids were led by BBMP Health Inspectors in respective zones, who were accompanied by marshals.
Out of the 1,074 kgs, 294 kgs of plastic was seized from raids carried out in the upscale neighbourhood of Indiranagar along 100 Feet Road and CMH Road, which falls in the east zone. A total fine amounting to Rs 5,90,500 was also imposed on these establishments.
In the west zone, raids were carried out on establishments located along Modi Hospital Road. Two eateries were closed by officials and Rs 1,45,000 was collected in fines. A total of 50 kg of plastic was recovered.
Similarly, in south zone, two restaurants were closed and 175kg of plastic goods were seized. Fines worth Rs 4.5 lakh were imposed on the raided establishments.
The raids on Wednesday came after officials raided six malls in the city on Saturday. Those raids saw seizure of 1,010 kg of plastic and Rs 13.2 lakh worth fines were imposed on individual traders. The malls which were raided included Orion, Garuda, Forum, Phoenix Marketcity, RMZ Galleria and Meenakshi.
A BBMP Health Department official said that the fine slabs are fixed depending on the scale of business in these establishments. Officials close down shops if they do not adhere to prior notices.
D Randeep also met officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to discuss measures for reducing waste generation during IPL matches to be held in the city’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, starting from March end.
All forms of plastic will be banned in the stadium except for packaged drinking water.