Bengaluru: The joint house committee of the state legislature has recommended dividing Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into seven smaller entities, each spread over 100 to 125 wards. The committee headed by Congress MLA Rizwan Arshan submitted its report to Speaker U T Khader here on Monday.
“After wide consultations with city planners, urban experts, elected representatives and the general public over the past five months, the committee has suggested dividing BBMP into seven smaller corporations in order to ensure effective administration of the Bengaluru city,” Rizwan told reporters after submitting the report.
The State Government had tabled the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill in the assembly in July last year. But it was referred to the joint house committee after BJP MLAs sought detailed discussion on the bill considering its long-term impact on Bengaluru's administration. The Government is expected to table the bill again in the upcoming budget session starting March 3 incorporating changes suggested by the joint house committee.
The new corporations will be supervised by the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority headed by the Chief Minister with the Bengaluru Development Minister as its member, Rizwan added. Besides coordinating among these new corporations, the authority will have the power to approve rates of taxes, fees, cess and user charges. Formulation and execution of major projects in the city will also come under its responsibility. Even the financial allocations from the state government to corporations will be routed through it.
The State Government had tabled the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill in the assembly in July last year. But it was referred to the joint house committee after BJP MLAs sought detailed discussion on the bill considering its long-term impact on Bengaluru's administration.
The Government is expected to table the bill again in the upcoming budget session starting March 3 incorporating changes suggested by the joint house committee. While the committee has retained all major provisions of the original bill, it has suggested a 30-month tenure for the Mayors and Deputy Mayors to be elected for the new corporations. The original bill prescribed a five-year tenure for them. The committee also cut down the number of new corporations to be carved from BBMP to seven from 10 as provisioned in the original bill.
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