Residents in Bengaluru should be prepared to pay an additional sum of money, on top of their current electricity bill as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bengaluru’s civic body, is considering collecting a new Solid Waste Management (SWM) fee from residents with their electricity bill.
According to a report by Deccan Herald, the BBMP intends to collect the SWM fee in several slabs which will be based on the monthly electricity bill of the household. Currently, the BBMP has asked the Urban Development Department (UDD) for an approval to collect the fee.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, a BBMP official said that the electricity bill has been identified as a good yardstick as it would indicate the income level of the household and would also indicate the number of residents in a house. In addition to this, two more categories have been made in the slabs, one for domestic users and another for commercial users.
A report in the Times of India (ToI) stated that the proposal had been made in 2020, however, it had not been implemented till date due to political reasons. Currently, the proposal is expected to create an additional income of Rs 300 crore for the BBMP.
According to the ToI report, the SWM fee slabs proposed for domestic users will range from Rs 30 to Rs 500 per month and are as follows:
> SWM charge of Rs 200 for a household with a monthly electricity bill of Rs 1,001 to Rs 2,000.
> SWM charge of Rs 350 for a household with a monthly electricity bill of Rs 2,001 to Rs 3,000.
> SWM charge of Rs 500 for a household with a monthly electricity bill of Rs 3001 or more.
For commercial users, the SWM fee will range from Rs 75 to Rs 1200 per month and the slabs are as follows:
> SWM charge of Rs 600 for a business with a monthly electricity bill of Rs 1,001 to Rs 2,000.
> SWM charge of Rs 800 for a business with a monthly electricity bill of Rs 2,001 to Rs 3,000.
> SWM charge of Rs 1200 for a business with a monthly electricity bill of Rs 3001 or more.
Speaking to ToI, an official said that this fee was essential as the BBMP, according to him, was spending Rs 800 crore to Rs 1000 crore on solid waste management.