Hotel owners, apartment groups protest BBMP’s’s garbage cess

Hotel owners and commercial associations in Bengaluru are set to approach Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, urging him to roll back the newly implemented garbage cess, calling it “unscientific” and financially burdensome.

Under BBMP’s new structure, properties with a 1,000 sqft area must pay Rs 2,000 per month as cess, totaling Rs 24,000 annually. For hotels and lodges, the cess has been fixed at Rs 4,000 per month, or Rs 48,000 a year. PC Rao, president of the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association, expressed concern over the impact on small businesses.

“This garbage cess is an added burden and very unscientific. Small hotels will struggle to pay Rs 48,000 annually. We will request the DCM to reduce the rates,” he said. The Bengaluru

Apartment Federation (BAF), representing over 1,300 apartment complexes, also raised objections. Satish Mallya, BAF vice president, said apartment residents face double taxation—once under the new cess and again through individual user fees. “Bulk generators like apartments are already paying user fees,” he said.

After a meeting with BBMP Solid Waste Management Chief Harish Kumar, Mallya said officials assured that revisions will be made. For apartment complexes with over 100 flats, individuals will not be charged separately. The user fee will be collected only from associations if daily waste exceeds 100 kilograms. BAF further argued that apartments are unfairly targeted.

“We pay Rs 12 per kilo in user fees like hospitals and schools, but only apartments are forced to segregate waste. Many older buildings lack composting infrastructure yet face pressure to comply,” Mallya added.