Crackdown on plastic & waste: Bengaluru civic body slaps PVR INOX with ₹75,000 penalty

Inspectors from Bengaluru’s civic watchdog caught PVR INOX mixing wet and dry waste and using banned single-use plastics, slapping the multiplex operator with a ₹75,000 penalty on the spot, as reported by India Today. The Bengaluru South City Corporation (BSCC) recovered the fine immediately and ordered the venue to clean up its waste management practices without delay.

The inspection targeted the PVR INOX outlet on Hosur Main Road in Lakkasandra Ward, under the BTM Layout constituency, where officials flagged major violations of the city’s Solid Waste Management (SWM) rules. Inspections revealed staff were failing to segregate wet and dry waste at the source and were actively serving patrons using prohibited single-use plastic items.

Civic officials broke down the ₹75,000 penalty into two parts: a ₹50,000 fine for mixing unsegregated waste and a ₹25,000 fine for utilizing banned single-use plastics. Management received explicit instructions to enforce source-level segregation and eliminate prohibited plastics effective immediately.

The action against PVR INOX forms part of a wider, aggressive drive by the BSCC targeting commercial establishments that defy waste regulations. During the same sweep, corporation inspectors penalised staff at Forum Mall on Kanakapura Main Road after discovering sewage treatment plant (STP) waste from the mall dumped near a supermarket in Jayanagar Housing Society Layout. Mall staff paid a separate penalty of ₹50,839 on the spot.

BSCC Commissioner KN Ramesh confirmed that ward-level inspections will continue unabated, issuing a stern warning to malls, multiplexes, hotels, and other bulk waste generators to adhere to strict segregation and scientific disposal standards.

Bengaluru continues to grapple with source-level waste segregation, illegal dumping, and widespread plastic pollution while generating thousands of tonnes of solid waste every single day. Municipal authorities regularly point to deliberate non-compliance by high-volume commercial generators as a primary driver behind overflowing public bins and clogged drainage systems across the city.