Cabinet sub-committee drafting B'lore Region Governance Bill

A Cabinet sub-committee headed by Bangalore in-charge minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, which is drafting the proposed the Bangalore Region Governance Bill, is seriously considering adopting the mayoral committee system for the BBMP, official sources told Deccan Herald.

Under the system, the Mayor will have executive powers. She/he will have a committee comprising a set of corporators to exercise the powers.  The mayoral committee will be on the lines of the Cabinet headed by the Chief Minister. However, the sub-committee is yet to decide on the nature of executive powers to be vested with the Mayor and the committee, the size of the Mayoral committee and the fate of present system of standing committees, official sources said.

The post of Mayor has become ceremonial, with the Commissioner exercising most of the executive powers. However, the new Mayor to be installed by the ruling BJP in the coming days will continue to function in accordance with the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act.

Idea dropped

The sub-committee has dropped the idea of introducing directly elected mayor system. It had finalised the draft in this regard on the basis of Kasturirangan committee report and recommendations of Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development (ABIDe). However, it had to face opposition from the government, compelling re-work on the proposal.

“The Government has given up this idea as the elections to the BBMP council are over. We are now fine-tuning the draft, which will be placed before the Cabinet for approval shortly,” sources added.

Extension of term

Besides, the sub-committee is also seriously considering extending the term of the Mayor from the present one year to two-and-a-half-year. “Unless the term is extended, there is no use of giving executive powers to the post. By the time the BBMP budget comes into effect, a Mayor would have completed six months of one year term. Nothing much can be done in six months,” the committee officials explained.

The proposed Bangalore Region Governance Bill, which will replace the existing KMC Act with respect to BBMP, is likely to be tabled in the next session of the State Legislature.

Some of the other features of the proposed bills are creation of neighbourhood area committees for greater citizen involvement and setting up of Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee, sources said.

‘Mayor in two days’

Chief Minister Yeddyurappa on Sunday said the BJP will complete the process of selecting candidates for the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor posts in two days. The party, which won a comfortable majority in the recently held elections, will install its first mayor and deputy mayor in the BBMP.