Bifurcation of BBMP gets Shettar support

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Saturday favoured bifurcation or trifurcation of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to provide better services and administration to citizens of Bangalore.

“Unfortunately, when the BBMP was formed, there was no public debate as such. There is a need to bifurcate or trifurcate the Palike for better administration. However, there is a need to take opinion of elected representatives, public and urban experts before acting towards the same,” said Shettar.

He was speaking at a seminar on “Reorganising Bangalore municipal area into two or more municipal corporations” organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration.

Shettar also felt the mayor’s tenure of one year was too short. “The mayor who is indirectly elected has a tenure of one year which is too short and this is something which should be introspected upon by all the legislators.

The recent garbage crisis has aggravated the situation further and a public debate needs to be held so that a slew of reforms is introduced. I request the civic body to interact with civic officials as well as public so that an effective solution is chalked out,” he said.

Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy attributed BBMP’s mounting problems to inadequate resources.

“Another major hassle is the frequent transfers of BBMP commissioners. It would be good if the commissioner serves a term of at least three years. The civic body is facing losses as many projects allotted to the Bangalore Development Authority is being executed by the BBMP.”

A Ravindra, adviser to chief minister (Urban Affairs), said: “The population of the Bangalore Municipal area, which was 4.2 million in 2001, has now risen to 8.5 million.

The increase in area and population have posed fresh challenges to the governance of the City. The BBMP is the largest municipal corporation in India and probably in the world, he said.

However, during the council meetings, only few councilors get a chance to speak and raise their voices.”   

Researcher Narendra Pani of National Institute of Advanced Studies blamed administrative imbalance for much of the problem. “In 1971, Bangalore comprised only the old town and cantonment.

In 1992, there was a spurt in the garment and small scale industry mainly in the northern region of Bangalore. In a time span of 1992-2008, the IT boom spread to the southern parts of the City.

The growing distance between the work place and residential homes of the residents staying in those areas has increased in the last 20 years. Due to asymmetrical developments, the villages have remained villages whereas the administrative limits are growing by each day.”

Recognising difference between development and service delivery and setting up a development authority are crucial for a restructured municipal authority. Specified agencies should be appointed for recognising the need for decentralisation, Pani added.

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar announced that the state government would start the process of selecting a new Lokayukta before the presentation of State Budget for 2013-14.

"As per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, the government will appoint the new Lokayukta," he added. After Shivraj V Patil stepped down from Lokayukta post on September 19, 2011, due to his alleged involvement in a land scam, the post has been lying vacant.

The former officer then added: “However, during the council meetings, only a few councilors get a chance to speak and raise their voices.”   

Researcher Narendra Pani of National Institute of Advanced Studies blamed administrative imbalance for much of the problem. “In 1971, Bangalore comprised only the old town and cantonment. In 1992, there was a spurt in the garment and small scale industry mainly in the northern region of Bangalore.

In a time span of 1992-2008, the IT boom spread to the southern parts of the City. The growing distance between the work place and residential homes of the residents staying in those areas has increased in the last 20 years. Due to asymmetrical developments, the villages have remained villages whereas the administrative limits are growing by each day.”

Recognising difference between development and service delivery and setting up a development authority are crucial for a restructured municipal authority. Specified agencies should be appointed for recognising the need for decentralisation, Pani added.

Shettar said the government will start the process of selecting a new Lokayukta before the presentation of State Budget for 2013-14. “As per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, the government will appoint the new Lokayukta,” he added. After Shivraj V Patil stepped down from Lokayukta post on September 19, 2011, due to his alleged involvement in a land scam, the post has been lying vacant.