Panel on restructuring BBMP begins work on ward delimitation

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) restructuring committee, which had proposed five smaller corporations in its previous report submitted in 2015, has started the delimitation process of 400 wards it had recommended.

The committee, headed by former chief secretary B S Patil, was of the view that the city needs to be governed by a borough like system, as in London, and hence had proposed five smaller corporations which will be headed by a bigger body of Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

All the civic agencies will function under the proposed authority, the committee had recommended. Sources in the government said that two weeks ago, the committee submitted its proposal to the Bengaluru Development Minister K J George and the proposal will soon be handed over to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The committee had recommended doing away with the 198 wards as they have been formed in an unscientific manner.  Citing an example, the sources said there are certain wards spread across just two to three sq km whereas some are as big as an Assembly constituency. Such unequal distribution causes stress on administration in bigger wards.

The committee is also working on a Greater Bengaluru Authority Act to govern the municipal administration in the city. The committee believes that the ‘archaic’ Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act cannot remain a guidebook for Bengaluru, and hence started its exercise to bring a separate Act to govern the city. It has taken help of a private law university and a reputed law firm.

“The committee has proposed a separate recruitment process exclusively for the GBA. It will bring in 100% professionalism in the functioning of Bengaluru municipal administration,” said a source.

In its previous reports
submitted to the government, the committee had recommended that the mayor should be directly elected by the people unlike the present procedure where an electoral college comprising elected representatives, elects the mayor. The committee recommended participatory democracy by giving space to citizens in policy making decisions.