The Deputy Chief Minister pointed to widespread violations, saying many residents dump garbage indiscriminately, while some truck owners dispose of construction waste illegally. The government, he added, has directed officials to take strict action against such offenders.
Published Oct 09, 2025 | 6:20 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 09, 2025 | 6:20 PM
Shivakumar addressing a discussion on Wednesday. (X)
Synopsis: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has claimed that he had “moved heaven and earth” to resolve Bengaluru’s garbage crisis, but alleged that mafias were obstructing the city’s progress. He additionally defended the state government’s response to growing criticism of the city’s infrastructure woes, sought to compare Bengaluru with global examples, and said that only the city’s troubles made “noise.”
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has said he has “moved heaven and earth” to fix Bengaluru’s garbage crisis, but claimed that “mafias” are derailing the city’s progress.
He was speaking at a discussion organised by the Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) in collaboration with Mount Carmel College on Transformative Vision for Bengaluru with Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) on Wednesday, October 8.
Shivakumar pointed to widespread violations, saying many residents dump garbage indiscriminately, while some truck owners dispose of construction waste illegally. The government, he added, has directed officials to take strict action against such offenders.
“We are making a lot of efforts to fix the garbage issue, but the garbage mafia is doing everything to derail this. They have filed a PIL to stop us from taking steps to clear the garbage issue,” he said.
The Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has faced growing criticism in recent weeks over pothole-riddled roads and deteriorating public infrastructure in the city.
Addressing these concerns, Shivakumar said, “Has anyone in this country asked citizens to take a picture of the pothole when they see one and send it to GBA? Has anyone done that? We have done in Bengaluru.” He added that officials are examining the thousands of complaints received so far.
Drawing a comparison between Bengaluru and London, the Deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the Bengaluru Development and Town Planning portfolio and serves as the Bengaluru Urban District In-charge, said people in London also spend up to three hours commuting without public transport. However, he noted, Bengaluru tends to make more “noise”.
“Bengaluru is making more noise than Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, because we are very free. We are not curbing social media,” he said.
Predictably, Shivakumar’s assertions did not go down well with netizens.
“These are just excuses. Does the government need permission from the mafia now? The Constitution has given you power to totally destroy all kinds of mafia in the city. Use it properly for once, for God’s sake,” wrote one user on X.
“When a Deputy CM says even he can’t fix garbage because of mafias — what does that leave for ordinary citizens? People are forced to live in filth, pay taxes for nothing, and watch leaders hide behind excuses. Sorry state of governance, sorrier state of citizens,” another user wrote.
A third urged the Deputy CM to focus on local issues instead of comparing Bengaluru to global cities. “Focus on Bengaluru and don’t look at London, Tokyo and Timbaktu. Find solutions for Bengaluru, Dy CM!” he wrote.
During the discussion on Wednesday, Shivakumar was asked how the newly created civic body, the GBA, would ensure coordination between various departments and agencies.
“We want a green and sustainable Bengaluru. There are two to three vehicles per household, and most of them are parked on the roads. While one section views Bengaluru as a global city, the other doesn’t have any idea,” he said.
Shivakumar also claimed that the media enjoys greater freedom in Karnataka compared to other southern states. “Media is not allowed to work freely in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and other states, in comparison to Karnataka,” he said.
Responding to a question on tackling corruption and poor-quality work, Shivakumar said, “We have taken many steps to contain corruption and bring in transparency. People had to run from pillar to post to get their building plan approved, but now we have introduced a self-declaration scheme, ‘Nambike Nakshe’.”
The government had also announced a self-declaration system for property tax, but Shivakumar said it was being misused in collusion with officials. “Hence, we are mapping all properties in Bengaluru to streamline property tax. We are now collecting property tax worth ₹6,000–7,000 crore, while Delhi collects only ₹2,000 crore,” he said.
Emphasising the need for citizen involvement in creating a “green and sustainable” city, the Deputy CM added, “Ward committees will be set up in all the 368 wards. People from all sections of society will be part of these committees, which will stay in touch with officials. People are the taxpayers, and their interest is important.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
