Karnataka Has Gone Bankrupt: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Bengaluru Garbage Collection Fee

New Delhi: Union Minister Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday slammed the Karnataka government for imposing "garbage tax" saying that the state government has become garbage for the nation and has gone bankrupt.

"The Karnataka government has become garbage for the nation. The state government has gone pauper, bankrupt. Today, there is so much inflation in Karnataka, and now this 'Garbage tax'. I condemn it," Joshi told ANI.

These remarks by the Union Minister came shortly after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) began collecting a fee for waste management along with user charges for waste collection. As per reports, these charges have been fixed based on the respective building area.

As per government-based reports, for residential buildings on plots of 600 square feet, a user charge of Rs 10 per month will be imposed, totalling Rs 120 annually. Meanwhile, for building with an area of 4,000 square feet will be imposed a waste charge of Rs 400, annually Rs 4,800.

This garbage tax comes as an addition to the recent spike imposed by the Siddaramiah-led government on essential commodities.

Take a look at the User Charge Details for Residential Buildings in Bengaluru:

600 sq ft- Rs 10 per month
601 sq ft to 1,000 sq ft- Rs 50 per month
1,000 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft- Rs 100 per month
2,000 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft- Rs 150 per month
3,000 sq ft to 4,000 sq ft- Rs 200 per month
Area above 4,000 sq ft- Rs 400 per month