Bengaluru: Your electricity bill may determine how much you pay for waste collection

The BBMP has sought approval from the Urban Development Department (UDD) to charge users for the door-to-door waste collection service it provides in the city.

The user fee, comprising of different slabs, has been fixed by co-relating it with the monthly electricity bill generated in a household.

“The monthly electricity bill is found to be a suitable yardstick since it is an indicator of the household income and varies depending on the number of residents in a house,” a senior Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official said. “We have fixed Rs 30 for a household that generates electricity bill in the lower range.”

The BBMP has declined to share the user fee slab stating the final figure could vary during the course of the discussion. It is learnt that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will take a final call on the issue.

The state government is unlikely to impose the fee anytime soon since the city is gearing up for the BBMP council elections, expected in April or May.

The BBMP had earlier revealed that it would take the help of Bescom executives to collect user fees every month. The civic body, which spends around Rs 800 crore on solid waste management, hoped to earn around Rs 200 crore to Rs 300 crore per annum.

Rakesh Singh, additional chief secretary, Urban Development Department, is likely to hold a meeting to review the proposal before it goes to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

It is, however, not easy to charge an additional fee on Bengalureans as it has several implications.

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