Govt likely to set up panel on splitting Palike

The State government is likely to set up a three-member official committee to look into the possibility of either bifurcating or trifurcating the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) with a view to providing better services to people.

According to sources, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has given his nod to form the committee and the Urban Development Department (UDD) may issue an order in this regard in two or three days. The committee is likely to be headed by a retired IAS officer.

The panel will be asked to conduct a wide range of consultation with citizens, non-governmental organisations and urban planners. It will also call for suggestions from public before preparing a report, which will be submitted to the government, sources said.

The State Congress has already formed its own 10-member committee headed by senior leader B L Shankar to look into the possibility of splitting the BBMP and delimitation of its wards. The committee comprises nine former Bangalore mayors, who are also the party leaders. Both the committees will submit their reports, which also include their recommendations to the government.

The Congress had in its manifesto for the 2013 Assembly elections promised to bifurcate the BBMP comprising 198 wards for administrative reasons. The party has been of the view that the bifurcation would help provide quality services to people.

The State Congress coordination committee headed by AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Digvijaya Singh recently decided to initiate steps towards fulfilling the party’s promise on bifurcation.
It was the JD(S)-BJP coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy which took the decision to form BBMP by merging erstwhile seven city municipal councils, one town municipal council and 110 villages around Bangalore. But the Congress had been of the view that the BBMP’s administration has been suffering due to the vast area under its limits.

Moreover, election to the BBMP council is due next year. The ruling Congress is said to be planning to use bifurcation or trifurcation as one of its poll planks.

Besides, the ruling party has also mooted a proposal for delimitation of wards so that it can carve out new ward boundaries to its political advantage. Currently, the BJP has majority in the BBMP council.