Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw advocates garbage-free Bengaluru, proposes ‘Cleanest Ward’ contest

Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has called for a garbage-free Bengaluru, inspired by the exemplary waste management practices of Vandse village in Karnataka's Kundapura Taluk. Sharing a video on X, she highlighted the village’s success in waste segregation and recycling, urging Bengaluru to adopt a similar model.

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In her post, Shaw described Vandse’s approach as a role model, asking, “Can we create this garbage-free model ward by ward in our city?” She suggested the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) launch a “Cleanest Ward” contest to motivate residents and authorities toward better waste management.

The post sparked widespread discussion, with suggestions ranging from dividing Bengaluru’s wards into smaller sub-wards managed by elected committees to implementing stricter bylaws for waste segregation, water conservation, and park maintenance. Others proposed unit-level waste segregation as an impactful, scalable solution.

A role model for all of us. Can we create this garbage free model ward by ward in our city? ⁦@DKShivakumar⁩ ⁦⁩ ⁦@cskarnataka⁩ ⁦@BBMPCOMM⁩ Let’s initiate “the cleanest ward” contest pic.twitter.com/KwegNTng5k

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw)

A role model for all of us. Can we create this garbage free model ward by ward in our city? ⁦@DKShivakumar⁩ ⁦⁩ ⁦@cskarnataka⁩ ⁦@BBMPCOMM⁩ Let’s initiate “the cleanest ward” contest pic.twitter.com/KwegNTng5k

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) November 30, 2024

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To inspire collective action, some recommended sub-contests like “Cleanest Office” and “Cleanest Road” within wards.

Recently, Shaw also urged the Karnataka government to delegate Bengaluru’s road maintenance to the Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA), citing inefficiencies in BBMP’s contractor-based system.

The entrepreneur’s advocacy underscores the urgent need for sustainable urban waste management in Bengaluru.