Govt in a hurry to restructure BBMP administrative zones

The state government is learnt to have decided to speed up the process to re-structure administrative zones in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and increase their number to 10 from eight.

An expert committee on re-structuring the BBMP headed by former chief secretary B S Patil has been directed to soon submit the revised proposal for increasing the number of zones.

The three-member committee has been asked to carve out new zones, besides increasing their numbers to 10 for providing effective administration.

“The committee has been asked to submit the revised proposal at the earliest. The panel has been asked to set right anomalies in the existing administrative zones to ensure effective delivery of services to people,” Additional Chief Secretary to Urban Development Department Mahendra Jain said.

The committee had submitted its proposal on carving out new zones in December 2015. But many Congress MLAs from Bengaluru had pointed anomalies in the proposal and asked the government to set them right.

Some Assembly constituencies such as Yeshwanthpura were spreading across more than two proposed zones. Besides, number of wards were not evenly distributed; some proposed zones had more than 45 wards, while some had only 6.

The government is keen on re-structuring BBMP zones as its bill – the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2015 – seeking to abolish the BBMP and establish more than two corporations is pending before the President of India for his assent. Re-structuring the BBMP is one of the promises that was made by ruling Congress during 2013 Assembly elections.