Cong-led govt has made Bengaluru more expensive than Dubai: Karnataka BJP

Bengaluru, May 28 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP unit has alleged that the Congress-led government in the state has made Bengaluru more expensive than Dubai by increasing prices and hiking taxes.

The BJP delegation submitted a memorandum to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Tushar Girinath on Wednesday in this regard. The BJP, protesting the proposed steep price hikes over waste disposal, demanded the convening of a meeting of Bengaluru MLAs to explain the reasons for the tax hike and provide details about the rate increases.

The delegation demanded to revoke the decision on the proposed cess on garbage and ensure transparency in the garbage management process. The party charged that the proposed cess on garbage is nothing but the government-sponsored loot, and all the credit for this mess will go to Dy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also Bengaluru Development Minister.

Speaking to the media in this regard, the Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka, alleged that the Congress party has brought a plan to "extract profit from waste." "It is the Congress government that has imposed the highest taxes in the country for waste disposal," he charged.

The Congress-led government has made Bengaluru city more costly than Dubai, he charged.

Ashoka stated, Rs 240 crore is being collected through the waste cess, while the tender for waste management is only Rs 145 crore. If user charges are also collected, it will generate between Rs 500 and 600 crore.

Ashoka further questioned, “From whose homes do you intend to collect these charges and destroy them?”

He pointed out that in other states, either cess or user fees are collected, not both. “Here, both are being collected,” he objected.

This, he warned, would lead to increased rent and spark disputes between tenants and landlords.

“When our government was in power, the cess was collected based on the weight of the garbage (per kg). Now, they are collecting fees based on the square footage of a plot,” he criticised.

“They are doing this to guarantee funds for themselves,” he alleged.

He demanded that a meeting of Bengaluru MLAs be convened to explain the reasons for the tax hike and provide details about the rate increases. “Only after such a discussion should this be implemented,” he insisted.

He reiterated the BJP’s demand to levy waste fees based on weight (kg) rather than on the area (square foot).

“If not, the curse of the people of Bengaluru will fall upon you,” Ashoka warned.

“Cities like Chennai, Maharashtra’s cities, and Kochi don’t have such high taxes. Just to secure financial guarantees, Congress is burdening the people of Bengaluru,” he alleged.

He further criticised that prices have shot up on everything from milk to alcohol. "Because of the price hikes, touching electricity now feels like getting a shock," he remarked sarcastically.

“They are not people who build homes; they are people who destroy them,” Ashoka stated.

He added, “In the past, Kempe Gowda was called the founder of the city. The Congress has now earned the title of destroyers of the state.”

The BJP delegation included Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalawadi Narayanaswamy, former Deputy CM C.N. Ashwath Narayan, MLAs K. Gopalaiah, S. Raghu, S. Muniraju, L.A. Ravi Subramanya, Bengaluru North District President S. Harish, Bengaluru Central District President Saptagiri Gowda, Bengaluru South District President and MLA C.K. Ramamurthy, BJP State Chief Spokesperson Ashwath Narayan, State Media Coordinator Karunakar Khasale, Assistant Coordinator Prashanth Kedanji, and other party leaders.