'Too many questions': SWM user fee complicates property tax filing for apartments in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: For thousands of apartment owners in Bengaluru, filing property tax this year comes with a new set of questions related to solid waste management user fees that many found difficult to answer or impossible to verify.

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) revised its property tax portal to capture the quantity of bulk waste generated across the city.

Apartment associations, however, have flagged serious gaps and errors in the process.

When residents attempt to pay property tax, the portal first asks them to identify whether they qualify as bulk waste generators. The classification applies to apartment complexes with more than 100 dwelling units, commercial spaces generating over 100 kg of waste per day, or sites larger than 5,000 sqm.

Bulk waste generators must then choose one of three waste management options: on-site processing, engagement of an authorised waste processor, or neither.

The complexity deepens at the next step, where residents must declare daily waste generation figures broken down into wet, dry, sanitary, and special care waste, along with quantities processed. The requirement applies to users who select any of the three options.

Where neither on-site nor authorised processing is declared, the portal calculates the SWM user fee — charged alongside property tax — by multiplying self-declared daily waste figures across 365 days.

Valli Srinivasan, a governing council member of the Bangalore Apartments Federation, said the requirement will produce speculative answers and serves no purpose.

"There is no system of measuring how much waste each flat generates on a daily basis. These numbers are, at best, rough estimates," she said, adding that in most complexes waste is collected at one central point and its disposal managed by the association.

In a video posted on its social media platforms, BAF pointed out that the portal does not accept entries of less than one kilogram for certain waste categories, even though actual per-household generation — particularly sanitary or special care waste — can be far lower.

A separate question — 12.D of the SWM section — does not allow users to enter daily waste generation below 100 kg. This restriction inflates the property tax bill sharply.

'Issue over-exaggerated; will fix minor gaps’

Speaking to DH, GBA Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil said the concerns are being exaggerated.

"As per the information shared by the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML), there are about 5,200 bulk waste generators in the city. This is disproportionately a smaller number as compared to 25 lakh properties. We will, however, reduce the number of questions, if needed," he said.

A BAF member noted that Rs 12 per kg is three times the SWM user fee paid by independent houses, and urged the GBA to restore an earlier system where the portal offered a bulk waste generator option and allowed the BSWML to verify the claim.