Doubling wards in village areas will help: Panel

The wards in the areas covering the 110 villages will be doubled, each with a population of 35,000 (2011 census), says C V Raman Nagar legislator S Raghu, who heads the Joint Legislature Committee formed to review a comprehensive new law for Bengaluru.

The villages will get developed ‘100 per cent’ this time, he assures. Here are a set of proposals, which Raghu says, will help develop the 110 villages:

Since the population per ward has been balanced across the city, every ward in the outer areas will get double the allocation. This will be applicable to outer wards, particularly those located in Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli, K R Puram and Byatarayanapura.

Ward committees will have representation from Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs), Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and other citizen activists.

To strengthen the committees, there is a proposal to increase the number of members from the existing 10 to 12. “Suppose there are eight areas in a ward. We can have two members from each area to ensure that all 35,000 citizens are fairly represented.

It is proposed that works valued at up to Rs 5 crore can be decided at the zonal level, up from the existing Rs 1 crore. This can ensure that works are approved and executed faster.

Works related to water supply and underground drainage are in progress in the 110 villages. The unaccounted for water (UFW) is as high as 30%. New connections will ensure that this is reduced and unauthorised connections do not occur.

There are several apartments and villas that are out of the property tax net. Ensuring that they are brought under the tax net will help BBMP find funds for further development.