Bengaluru, 30 July 

Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Thursday announced that the Congress government is launching its Just Clean Bengaluru campaign from 1 August, which he titled “JCB”. The announcement comes after the government deployed heavy machineries, including JCBs, to remove alleged encroachments from footpaths and removed street vendors, triggering unrest. 

“Let’s JCB together for a Better Bengaluru,’” Gowda said in a social media message. “We hope that during the month of August we will remove tens of thousands of tonnes of legacy waste from public spaces.”

Gowda also reiterated that the month-long ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign would begin in August. He asked owners of vacant sites to clear construction debris and overgrown vegetation by 15 August, failing which civic agencies will undertake the work and recover the cost through property tax accounts. The government will publish the cleaning rates next week.

He said the drive would target legacy waste on roadsides, footpaths, medians, vacant sites and other public spaces, while agencies including BBMP, Metro, Suburban Rail and Indian Railways would clean up debris in areas under their jurisdiction.

He said that there could be “tens of thousands” of such vacant sites, particularly in Bengaluru’s outer areas. He noted that garbage and piles and garbage debris serve as a breeding ground for “mosquitoes, rats and snakes”. 

Gowda said that vehicles transporting construction and demolition waste will mandatorily have GPS installation for to curb illegal dumping.