Gaurav Gupta to be BBMP chief commissioner

Just a few days after the BBMP budget was presented, the state government has rejigged the bureaucracy at the civic body and notified changes to official designations in compliance with the BBMP Act, 2020.

Accordingly, Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta, the current administrator of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has been appointed BBMP commissioner, while the incumbent commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad has been posted as Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Bhoomi and Urban Property Ownership Records under the Revenue Department.

The state government on Wednesday also notified the redesignation of the roles of BBMP officials according to the newly enacted BBMP Act, 2020.

The notification says commissioner Gaurav Gupta has been designated as BBMP chief commissioner and the special commissioners looking after various zones as zonal commissioners.

The state government also posted Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, Rakesh Singh, as the BBMP administrator.

Speaking to DH, Singh said: “The development of Bengaluru is not just a race but a relay. Several developmental works have been taken up across Bengaluru in the past and we have to continue them.”

Singh also assured that the city administration will try to implement “better development works for the city” and “people of Bengaluru.”

Although the newly enacted BBMP Act came into effect from January 11, 2021, the state government did not notify changes in the designation of the officials in line with the new act. This resulted in confusion in the day-to-day administration of the civic body.

Subsequently, the Urban Development Department (UDD) wrote to the BBMP commissioner to submit a detailed report. But the UDD had put an end to the confusion by notifying the redesignations on Wednesday.

The gazette notification said: “The post of commissioner, BBMP, has been converted as ‘chief commissioner’ starting from April 1.

All the special commissioners have been redesignated as zonal commissioners and the designation of joint commissioners (JCs) of all the eight zones has been changed to zonal joint commissioners’ who will report to the zonal commissioners.”

The notification authorised the chief commissioner to
correspond on behalf of the civic body with other authorities, including the state
government.

The government also said all recruitments, decisions and tax permissions/cess levied under various provisions of the Karnataka Municipal Act until the enactment of the BBMP Act, 2020, will continue until further notice as stated under rule 376 of the BBMP Act, 2020 (transitory provisions).