Bengaluru
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Wednesday pulled up an official over the handling of waste in the city, asking, “Are you working for the people or for contractors?” The minister raised the question while reviewing waste clearance work being carried out in Bengaluru.
Byre Gowda said the focus should not be limited to simply removing garbage from public spaces. The larger aim, he said, was to reclaim such areas and make them useful for the people of Bengaluru.
Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda reviewed the ‘Freedom From Waste’ campaign, questioning an official’s focus on contractors over public service and stressing the need to reclaim cleared spaces for citizen use, involving designated waste processing facilities.
“Our effort is not just to remove waste, but to reclaim every possible space for the people of Bengaluru,” he said in a post on X.
The minister said areas cleared under the #FreedomFromWaste campaign, including those around Hebbal Flyover, were reviewed to discuss how the reclaimed spaces could be put to better public use.
During the review, Byre Gowda questioned the official over the disposal of waste after it had been cleared from the area. “Are you working for the people or for contractors?” he asked.
“Are you working for the people or for contractors?”
Minister Krishna Byre Gowda lashes out at official over failure to clear waste
Minister Krishna Byre Gowda questioned an official over the failure to properly dispose of waste, asking whether officials were working for the… pic.twitter.com/q1n2h6zTTU
— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) September 18, 2026
The incident took place during a review of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) ‘Freedom From Waste’ campaign, which began across the city on August 1. The campaign is aimed at improving door to door garbage collection, clearing identified blackspots and cleaning public areas, including flyovers, underpasses and bus stands.
The campaign includes the scientific disposal of construction and demolition waste through the ClearIt mobile application and seeks stricter compliance from bulk waste generators through authorised waste collection agencies.
Several agencies, including BESCOM, BWSSB, BMRCL, K RIDE, Railways, BDA, NHAI and KIADB, have also been directed to clear waste and debris from areas under their jurisdiction.
Waste collected during the drive is to be transported to designated processing facilities at Venkatapura, Vittasandra, Kallubalu, Mandur, Yerappanahalli, Kannur, Marenahalli and Chikkajala.
