Karnataka Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda directed officials to tighten household waste collection and address civic infrastructure problems during an unannounced inspection of Bengaluru’s eastern areas on September 5, 2026.
The minister visited Horamavu, Banjara Layout, Agara Lake, Jayanagar, Ramamurthy Nagar and Kasturinagar under the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s East division, according to a report by Vijay Karnataka. He reviewed the local condition of sanitation, waste collection and disposal, roads, footpaths, stormwater drains, lakes and ongoing infrastructure works.
Byre Gowda instructed officials to ensure that waste is collected from every household at a fixed time each day. He also directed officials to maintain continuous supervision of collection and disposal operations and told assistant general managers to take adequate steps to improve cleanliness.
During the inspection, civic workers reportedly asked the minister to make their employment permanent. Responding to the demand, Byre Gowda questioned the continuation of workers who do not attend duty or do not perform their assigned work properly. The minister said that around 30% of civic workers were not attending their daily duties regularly, according to the report. That figure was presented as the minister’s assertion and was not accompanied in the report by supporting attendance records or an official workforce audit.
The minister said irregular collection was contributing to situations in which residents were throwing waste on roads. He also referred to complaints about foul smells in several parts of the city and said officials were facing public criticism over the condition of civic services.
The inspection covered issues beyond solid waste management. Byre Gowda directed officials to prioritise garbage dumping in public places, footpath encroachments, construction waste and potholes. He asked the departments concerned to coordinate and resolve these problems quickly so that residents would not face inconvenience.
Officials were also instructed to give priority to public safety on roads and footpaths. The minister called for steps to prevent obstruction to pedestrian and vehicular movement and asked authorities to take necessary precautions in areas where civic conditions could create risks for the public.
The directions come as the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s eastern division continues to manage routine municipal services across a mix of residential layouts, roads, lake areas and expanding neighbourhoods. The report did not specify a deadline for completing the corrective measures or provide details of any disciplinary action, staffing review or monitoring mechanism following the inspection.
