BENGALURU: With 18 months to go before the Siddaramaiah government goes back to the people for a crucial re-election, the Chief Minister who knows that everything is riding on his reputation to turn around the IT capital from its current dysfunctional state, has finally announced the long overdue revamp of the city's administrative body - a Greater Bengaluru!
It's not the trifurcation that had been raised as the panacea to all Bengaluru's ills by BBAG, but a division into four, that will make the city easier to govern.
“BBMP will be split into 3 or 4 mini-corporations,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, speaking in Chowdeshwari Nagar and Lakshmidevi Nagar on Saturday at a BDA event, ahead of the launch of 5,000 flats built by BDA in Kempegowda layout that will be handed over to the allottees in the next 15 days.
"For the development of Bengaluru city, various projects are taken up. But as the BBMP has grown exponentially, it has become difficult to cater to the basic needs of people in an efficient way. Due to this we are looking at a proposal to split the BBMP,” he said. Without mentioning the reasons behind the much talked about move being put on ice all this time, Siddaramaiah said, “For various reasons the proposal to split BBMP was not taken up, but in the next one and half years, we will split the BBMP."
Holding the BJP, which controlled the BBMP, responsible for the problems facing the city including the garbage menace, he said "the Congress government is blamed for all the menace created by BJP, but from the past three and half years, with our programmes and schemes we have solved many problems the city was facing." He said the BBMP must become self-sustainable. “According to me there are over 30 lakh properties in Bangalore. If all these properties are identified and brought under the tax-net, BBMP will generate an additional income of Rs 6,000 crore," he said.
It’s a political ploy!
Splitting the BBMP seems to be a ploy by the Siddaramaiah government to stop the BJP from gaining power in any of the mini-corporations in the city. The Congress is reportedly drawing up plans to split the wards in such a way that leaders of religious and linguistic minorities would have a say on who comes to power. "If the city is divided this way, the BJP cannot win any of these mini-corporations in future. The BJP will slowly lose its hold over the city," an MLA from the city said.
A split BBMP better: Expert
“The BBMP in its current form is not governable. It is too big and centralised. Decentralisation of governance and administration is needed. It is desirable to make multiple corporations with a greater Bengaluru as the top tier integrator,” said V. Ravichandar, civic evangelist.
Steel bridge will be built: George
Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the event, Bengaluru development minister K.J. George said "Building a steel bridge is inevitable. There is a big opposition from environmentalists against building steel bridge from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal. The project is not taken up just to reduce the traffic density but for the development of people in the area where the bridge passes through. Saplings, six to seven times the number of trees cut will be planted.”
It’s High-five for bengaluru
What 3-member panel said
The BBMP Restructuring Committee concluded that the current single BBMP model is unsustainable and should be replaced by multiple city corporations. The members said that mega cities follow multi-municipal structures for efficient administration.
How will corporations work?
Split BBMP into five corporations under the supervision of the Greater Bengaluru Authority, an umbrella body. To micromanage local issues, each ward will have a corporation ward committee, which will have 20 members with 10 members being local residents. A mayor each for the five corporations who will be elected through direct elections. A Greater Services Bengaluru Ombudsman will address grievances of the public.
What may change in BBMP?
Better revenue generation due to greater focus on raising resources and incentives for higher property tax collections. Five commissioners and 10 zonal commissioners to oversee administration in their designated areas.
- Greater Bengaluru Finance Commission to monitor distribution of resources
- Two zones per municipal corporation with each managing 35-40 wards and zonal commissioners will be in charge of it
- Five years’ term for a Mayor
- Four hundred wards for the present population as against the present 198
