Metropolitan plan panel for City taking shape

Thanks to rider that flow of JnNURM funds would stop, if it is not formed

The State government has begun the process of constituting the much-delayed Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) for Bangalore.

Under the 74th amendment of the Constitution, MPC is mandatory for a city with a population of more than 10 lakh. Bangalore is home to over 85 lakh (as per census 2011).

Though an enabling law was passed by the Government in 1994, the committee did not come into existence.

The Government seems to have finally woken up, thanks to a rider that the flow of funds for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) would stop if the MPC was not constituted.

As a first step, the government has taken the initiative of amending the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Act, 1994, to repeal Section 45 of the Act which specified that the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) would have to be dissolved once the MPC is constituted.

The then government had felt the BMRDA could be scrapped once the MPC was formed. However, an expert committee headed by K Kasturirangan, constituted to review the institutional situation in the metropolitan region, thought otherwise. The committee in its recommendation submitted in 2008 proposed extensive responsibilities in the expanded BBMP as well as retaining BMRDA.

The amendment bill to retain BMRDA even after the constitution of the MPC will be taken up for consideration in the next legislature session.  However, the government is likely to notify only Bangalore Urban revenue district as the metropolitan area deviating from recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee, which specified that besides Bangalore Urban, the districts of Bangalore Rural and Ramanagaram be brought under MPC. This means the MPC will have BBMP, Anekal Town Municipal Council and 110 gram panchayats in the four taluks of Bangalore Urban in its jurisdiction.

The government, at the same time, has decided to put its ambitious proposal of having a Bangalore Metropolitan Region governance legislation on the back burner at least for the time being.

Overarching council

The proposed legislation is to create an overarching council which would plan and supervise the development of the Bangalore Metropolitan Region.

Urban Development Department secretary Aravind Shrivastava said once the amendment bill to retain BMRDA was passed by the legislature, the process of constituting the MPC could be simultaneously taken up.

Two-third of the members of the MPC shall be elected from among members of the corporation, municipalities and president and vice-presidents of zilla, taluk and gram panchayats in the metropolitan area. Besides, the State government can nominate experts to the committee.

 The main aim of constituting the MPC is to bring all stakeholders involved in urban development on a single platform. The MPC will also have to prepare a development plan, for instance the Master Plan for Bangalore, indicating vision and strategy for integrated and co-ordinated development of metropolitan area. These tasks, at present, are usually outsourced to the third parties and except for calling for objections from the public, there is not much transparency while finalising zoning in the master plan.

Functions

* Preparation of draft development plan for metropolitan area
* Co-ordination and sorting out common issues involving local bodies in metro area, including sharing of water, etc
* Deciding on allocation of resources to local bodies
* Avoiding overlapping of areas of different agencies