Bengaluru: March -5, 2026-
The Commissioner of Bengaluru East City Corporation, D.S.Ramesh, chaired a review meeting on various matters relating to the Health Department and issued strict directions.
Trade License Reforms and Regulation-The Commissioner held discussions with Health Department officials regarding: Making trade licenses mandatory for small and medium enterprises and private medical establishments, Revising trade license fees within corporation limits, Implementing an auto-renewal system for trade licenses and Simplifying documentation required for obtaining trade licenses;The Health Officer was instructed to submit a proposal outlining new regulatory measures to the committee headed by the Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
Mandatory Enforcement Against Tobacco Sales-Officials were directed to conduct raids on shops selling tobacco products within 100 metres of schools and colleges and to register cases and close such establishments under the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
Monitoring of Hazardous Trades-In the interest of public health and safety, medium and highly hazardous trades must be subjected to mandatory and continuous inspections after obtaining trade licenses. Officials were instructed to initiate action as per rules against establishments violating public health and safety norms.
Framing Waste Management Regulations-Officials were directed to assess the quantity of waste generated based on the size, nature, and type of various trades and to frame appropriate regulations for scientific waste disposal. Monitoring of bulk waste generators is to be strengthened.
Inspection of Rooftop Restaurants-From a public safety perspective, officials were instructed to ensure that restaurants operating on the rooftops of high-rise buildings do not have kitchen facilities located directly on the rooftop.
Building Use and Regulation-Since basement floors are designated exclusively for parking purposes, officials were directed to inspect buildings conducting commercial activities below ground level and initiate steps to cancel their trade licenses where violations are found.
Considering that a major portion of the East zone is a high-tech area, officials were instructed to examine cases where commercial activities are being conducted on roads less than 40 feet wide in residential areas. They were directed to obtain the opinion of the Greater Bengaluru Authority and frame a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) either to completely restrict such activities or to permit only specific types of businesses that do not adversely impact public health and safety.
Cleanliness and Coordination-To maintain cleanliness within the corporation limits, the Health Officer was directed to deploy one Health Supervisor per division and ensure coordination with BSWML.
The meeting was attended by Additional Commissioner Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar, Joint Commissioners Dr. Dakshayini K. and Dr. Sudha, Health Officer Dr. Savitha, Deputy Health Officer Dr. Kalpana, Medical Officers of Health, Health Supervisors, and other officials.