JOIN USChief Minister may consider proposal to bifurcate BBMP
The bifurcation of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is on the anvil. Following “pressure” from the Congress MLAs and MLCs from the City, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is said to have assured the legislators that proposal would definitely be considered.
Sources in the Congress said Siddaramaiah had a discussion with the Congress legislators from the City on the bifurcation of the BBMP during a lunch he hosted for them at his residence here on Wednesday.
According to a Congress leader, the decision on bifurcation of the BBMP may be taken six to eight months ahead of the expiry of the Palike council’s current term. The council’s term is scheduled to end in March 2015.
It is said that due to the vast and unwieldy jurisdiction of the BBMP, several civic problems were not being addressed. The MLAs opined that even the schemes which were announced for the City were not reaching beneficiaries due to the BBMP’s 800 sqkm jurisdiction.
During the discussions, it was said that, for instance, the Assembly constituency of Byatarayanapura was spread across nearly 20 kilometres and, lacked proper development.
The MLAs and MLCs impressed upon Siddaramaiah that a city like New Delhi, which is almost the same size of the present day Bangalore, has three municipal corporations for its functioning.
Loud thinking
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Home Minister and MLA from Sarvajnanagar in the City K J George said the bifurcation of BBMP was only a ‘loud thinking’ and nothing concrete has emerged so far. “The MLAs and MLCs from the City met the chief minister and we had a general discussion,” he added.
However, Minister of State for Agriculture and MLA from Byatarayanapura, Krishna Byregowda said that the chief minister has called for a second round of talks on the split proposal.
“We (MLAs and MLCs) spoke to him on the issue and he has agreed to meet us at a later date to discuss the matter again,” he said.
The proposal to create BBMP was passed during the coalition regime of the JD(S) and the BJP in 2007.
Accordingly, the jurisdiction of the then Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) from 200 sqkm was increased to 800 sqkm by including seven city municipal councils, one town municipal council and 110 villages. Subsequently, the BMP was renamed BBMP.
Incidentally, the idea to reduce the jurisdiction of the BBMP was discussed even during the final days of the previous BJP government.