MCC sets Re. 1 per square feet as cleaning charges

Mysuru: Vacant sites full of overgrowth and garbage is a common sight in city. Though the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), grappling with gargantuan garbage problem, had issued directions urging vacant site owners to clear the sites, nothing came of it. Now the MCC has gone a step further announcing that the civic body will provide rebate in Property Tax for those owners who keep their sites free from weeds and garbage. 

Waste management is in such disarray that vacant sites often become temporary garbage landfills. Some citizens allow sites to be used as a dumping ground, turning them into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

To make matters worse, these garbage-filled vacant sites are potentially more dangerous that the black spots on street corners or the roadside. The garbage is contained in a specific area and ends up serving as a fostering ground for rodents, snakes, mosquitoes and stray dogs. 

The MCC wants site owners to de-weed their plots and ensure no garbage is chucked there —  if it is, the site owner has to clear the patch of land.

The MCC had issued a diktat to vacant site owners under Section 463 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976. Besides this, several circulars have been issued. Recently, the MCC had stated that it would charge Re. 1 to clear one square feet. The MCC had initially proposed to charge 50 paise to clean per square feet. But the rate was modified to Re. 1 as 50 paise will not work out for the MCC. 

As per the new rates, a person who ones a 30X40 site has to pay a cleaning charge of Rs. 1,200. “If the MCC cleans the site, the money will be added to the Property Tax of that particular site owner. If the owner voluntarily cleans it, tax rebate will be provided,” MCC Executive Engineer Nagaraj told Star of Mysore.

 Vacant sites are being identified in all the nine MCC Zones by development officers and there are three teams per ward to undertake cleaning activities, Nagaraj informed. The MCC has already begun the cleaning process. Sites will be cleaned in new layouts (within the Ring Road limits) too that have been handed over to the MCC by Mysuru Urban Development Authority. 

MUDA plans shelved

The problem of overgrown weeds in vacant plots is a problem for Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA)too. Following many complaints from residents about these unkempt sites, MUDA was toying with an idea to replicate the concept developed by MCC over the periodic maintenance of plots. MUDA had planned to levy Rs. 2 per square feet for cleaning. 

The plan was, however, shelved as MUDA does not have its own mechanism of cleaning the sites. It has to call for tenders from cleaning contractors who have the necessary cleaning equipment. “Calling tenders and cleaning hundreds of vacant sites is a costly affair and we have decided to drop the proposal,” said MUDA Executive Engineer Nagesh.