BBMP delimitation process is unnecessary, unscientific and unilateral

The recent delimitation of wards by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has perplexed the citizens. With an increase in the number of wards from 198 to 243, the BBMP says that this delimitation was drafted in accordance with the city’s population. However, many citizens, activists, and Resident Welfare Associations have been vocal about their disagreement with this change.

Speaking to DH, Jagadish Babu, a political activist, is of the opinion that the delimitation is not done perfectly and is completely unscientific. He says, “Thippasandra, for instance, has now been split into three wards. They (BBMP) have created one ward named New Thippasandra, but ironically, this ward does not exist in New Thippasandra.”

Also Read: Bengaluru: BBMP's wayward delimitation?

Jagadish also talks about how the BBMP must consider several factors before drawing the boundaries. “We should always look at how to fix a boundary when a railway track or highway is running through a place. Even water pipelines should be taken into consideration. If a pipeline runs from one ward to another, then there might be a tug-of-war between wards if boundaries are not drawn properly,” he elaborates.

Dr. Subramani, president of the Kushal Layout Association opines that the present wards are functioning well and there is no need for this delimitation. He says, “We are a family of 55-60 families at Kushal Layout. Before this draft, we came under Vignan Nagar and were quite satisfied. But now we are going to Mahadevapura ward, which is much larger compared to Vignan Nagar. Whether or not the government will concentrate on us is a big question.”

He draws attention to a meeting held recently with residents of neighbouring areas, Nagappa Reddy Layout and Abbaiah Reddy Layout, wherein they shared a mutual understanding that the existing wards should persist.

In addition to being unscientific and unnecessary, this delimitation has also been described as a completely unilateral decision. R V Bhaskar, a resident of Basavanagudi shares this sentiment. According to him, the public has not been consulted about this change. If the people are unhappy, then this delimitation exercise will be futile.

“Basavanagudi is one of the oldest localities in Bangalore. I have been living here for the past 60 years, and we are all content with our present ward. Now some other areas will be included in this ward, so we don’t know how things will work out. We don’t know if our association will also undergo restructuring, which will cause a big headache,” notes Bhaskar.

He also questions the administrative efficiency of the areas on the outskirts that are being included within the BBMP boundaries. “They (BBMP) don’t have the staff or equipment to administer the outskirts well. They simply want to make them a part of the city on paper,” he adds.

While the delimitation decision has been met with opposition by many, some people believe that an increase in wards might be beneficial for the city. Rizwan M H, a resident of C V Raman Nagar, sides with this optimistic opinion. He states, “People will probably have closer contact with the authorities, which in turn will lead to better development of the ward. An increase in wards means there will be a greater representation of people in BBMP. I think it will make a positive impact on the city.”