JOIN USThe Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Restructuring Committee has worked out the modalities on setting up a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
As per the committee’s proposal, the GBA will be headed by the chief minister, with all executive powers, for the first 10 years before the baton is passed on to an elected mayor.
The committee, headed by former chief secretary B S Patil, former BBMP commissioner Siddaiah and urban expert V Ravichander as its members, made a presentation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his Cabinet colleagues and City MLAs here on Thursday. The committee will submit its detailed report in mid-July.
Speaking to Deccan Herald after the two-hour presentation, Ravichander said the chief minister and others were largely in sync with their suggestions. The committee has recommended a three-tier governance, where there will be a ward corporation, municipal corporation and the GBA. It has also advocated five municipal corporations.
About the roles of the three-tier governance, Ravichander said the ward corporation will comprise 10 elected and 10 nominated members. The ward corporations provide for decentralisation of power where people will have more say in executing public works.
“The municipal corporations will have a mayor, a municipal commissioner and two zones. Thus, there will be 10 zones as against the existing eight zones,” said Ravichander.
GBA jurisdiction
The GBA will have a jurisdiction over Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and other civic agencies such as the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and Bescom. All these bodies will function under the GBA.
“The chief minister will have control over the GBA for a period of 10 years and later, a directly elected mayor can be installed for the GBA,” said Ravichander.
Besides the chief minister, there will be a metropolitan commissioner, mayors of all the five corporations, zonal representatives, experts and invitees.
The urban expert said, “The total strength of the GBA will be about 25 to 30 members.