Bengaluru Chicken Shops Bandh On September 3 And 4 Over Waste Disposal Fee

Bengaluru chicken shop owners are preparing for a two day protest against the waste disposal fee introduced by the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited. The Karnataka Poultry Traders Association has announced a protest on September 3 and a complete shutdown across the city on September 4.

The association said the decision could affect nearly 6,000 to 7,000 chicken shops in Bengaluru. Customers may also face difficulties purchasing chicken during the shutdown if the protest goes ahead as planned.

The dispute centres on the decision to collect Rs 5 for every kilogram of chicken waste generated by shops. Traders argue that the additional payment will put further financial pressure on small and medium sized chicken businesses.

Protest planned at Freedom Park
According to the traders association, chicken shops will remain closed on September 3 as owners gather at Freedom Park in Bengaluru to protest against the waste management charges. The following day, September 4, shops across the city are expected to remain completely closed.

The association has urged chicken shop owners to participate in the protest and support its demand for a review of the waste disposal fee.

The traders say the proposed charge may appear small on a per kilogram basis, but it could become a significant monthly expense for individual shop owners.

Shops may pay around Rs 4,500 every month
The association estimates that an average chicken shop generates around 30 kilograms of waste each day. At the proposed rate of Rs 5 per kilogram, a shop would have to pay approximately Rs 150 every day for waste disposal.

Over a month, that works out to nearly Rs 4,500. Traders say this additional cost would directly affect their daily business expenses and could eventually influence the prices paid by customers.

The association has therefore demanded that BSWML reconsider the fee structure before implementing the charge.

Bengaluru generates large quantities of chicken waste
The traders association claims that around seven lakh kilograms of chicken are sold across Bengaluru every day. From this activity, it estimates that between two lakh and three lakh kilograms of waste are generated.

Chicken shops rely on proper collection and disposal systems to handle this waste. Traders, however, argue that the responsibility for managing such a large volume of waste should not result in an excessive financial burden on individual shop owners.

The proposed Rs 5 per kilogram charge has consequently become a major point of disagreement between the poultry trade community and the waste management authorities.

Shutdown could affect customers
If the planned shutdown takes place on September 4, thousands of chicken shops across Bengaluru could remain closed for the day. This may create inconvenience for households, restaurants and other businesses that depend on regular chicken supplies.

The association has made it clear that the protest is primarily aimed at opposing the waste disposal fee and drawing attention to the financial impact on traders.

For now, the planned September 3 protest and September 4 citywide shutdown are expected to put pressure on the authorities to reconsider the proposed waste management charges.