Bengaluru homeowners to face extra monthly fee from April. Even small houses won’t be spared

Starting April 1, Bengaluru residents will face an additional charge on top of their property tax bills — a new user fee for domestic waste collection and disposal, approved by the Karnataka government. 

The policy, according to a Deccan Herald report, applies to all domestic waste generators in the city.

The fee structure includes six slabs based on property size. Buildings up to 600 sq ft will pay ₹10 per month, while properties over 4,000 sq ft will be charged ₹400 per month. For instance, a typical three-storey building on a 30x40 sq ft site could see a monthly charge of ₹150. This is in addition to the existing Solid Waste Management (SWM) cess already collected as part of property tax, which is meant to fund the upkeep of public spaces.

The fee is expected to generate approximately ₹750 crore in annual revenue. According to BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, BSWML’s allocation has been increased to ₹1,400 crore. “We hope to generate at least ₹750 crore from the user fee. The remaining amount will be provided to BSWML from our other revenue sources,” he was quoted as saying in the report. 

In comparison, the agency previously received ₹1,085 crore from BBMP funds. 

While the official order is yet to be issued, the Urban Development Department — overseen by Deputy CM D K Shivakumar — approved the proposal earlier this year. BBMP now plans to begin collecting the user fee along with property tax starting from the 2025–26 financial year, as announced by BBMP Special Commissioner (Finance) Dr. Harish Kumar P during the recent city budget.

This marks the first time BBMP has formally acknowledged the implementation of a user fee for household waste management, even though BSWML had submitted its proposal last November citing the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and various court orders.

Not everyone is on board. Poongothai Paramasivam of the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP) questioned the need for a new charge: “BBMP has abundant funds. Before considering a user fee, it must justify why the existing budget is insufficient. Where is the money going? Why is there no audit or public disclosure of SWM expenditures?”

She added that while Swachh Survekshan guidelines allow urban bodies to collect such fees, “it is not mandatory.”