BENGALURU – The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and its subsidiary, the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), have landed in the middle of a major controversy after purchasing a brand-new Toyota Innova Crysta diesel variant worth ₹33 lakh for their Managing Director and Chief Commissioner, IAS officer M. Maheshwara Rao — even as the city continues to reel under garbage mismanagement, unpaid contractor bills, and civic collapse.
The same car, which costs ₹33 lakh for a common taxpayer, is available at ₹21 lakh for government departments, since vehicles registered in the government’s name are exempted from certain taxes. The revelation has raised sharp questions about administrative priorities amid worsening civic distress.
₹3,431 Crore Collected, But Not a Rupee Shared
Official figures reveal that Bengaluru’s property tax collection for the current fiscal year has reached ₹3,431 crore, including ₹70.83 crore under the new Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) framework.
Yet, not a single rupee has been transferred to the accounts of the five newly formed City Corporations under the GBA umbrella — leaving civic bodies starved of funds even for essential works like pothole repair, waste disposal, and drainage maintenance.
“When the city’s footpaths are broken, roads cratered, and waste remains uncollected, how can the GBA justify buying a luxury vehicle for an officer? It’s an insult to Bengaluru’s taxpayers,” said a senior urban governance expert.
Garbage Fines Turned Into Harassment
The BSWML, responsible for door-to-door garbage collection and solid waste management, has been accused of turning civic enforcement into intimidation.
Under the solid waste management norms, the fine for first-time street littering is ₹1,000, and ₹2,000 for repeat offences.
However, BSWML enforcement squads have allegedly tracked citizens through e-commerce bills found in street litter and dumped auto-loads of garbage outside their homes as punishment — acts for which no legal provision exists under the BSWML Act, 2020 or the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024.
“Such actions violate Article 21 of the Constitution — the right to live with dignity. This is civic vigilantism, not waste management,” said a legal scholar, urging court oversight.
Judicial Intervention Sought
Following a series of investigative stories by TheBengaluruLive.com, the publication has called on the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice to take suo motu cognizance of the issue, arguing that these actions violate fundamental citizen rights and fall outside the legal powers of BSWML.
Also Read: Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Must Step In: Citizens Harassed as Bengaluru Officials Dump Garbage at Doorsteps in the Name of Cleanliness
Instead of conducting awareness campaigns and “Gandhigiri” drives to promote public cooperation, officials have chosen punitive actions — even as they struggle to pay contractors who handle the city’s waste logistics.
Also Read: Penalise Them, Mr. D.K. Shivakumar — But You Have No Legal Right to Dump Garbage at Citizens’ Homes
Luxury Over Logic
The purchase of a ₹33-lakh Crysta has come at a time when contractors remain unpaid, potholes multiply, and citizens face arbitrary fines. Civic activists have called the move “tone-deaf governance,” questioning why bureaucratic comfort takes precedence over essential infrastructure.
“Bengaluru needs better waste management and cleaner streets — not new cars for top officials,” said a civic activist.
Governance Paralysis and Financial Mismanagement
Despite creating five new City Corporations — Central, East, West, North, and South — the Greater Bengaluru Authority has failed to improve urban services.
The absence of fund transfer, combined with excessive penalization of citizens, highlights a governance paradox where taxes are collected efficiently, but civic delivery has collapsed.
As residents navigate cratered roads and overflowing black spots, bureaucrats now roll past in brand-new Crystas — a fitting metaphor for a city where power rides in comfort, while the people walk in filth.
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