BBMP goes with B.SMILE for big infra projects

Bengaluru: B.SMILE — an acronym for Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd — has been shortlisted by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as the name for the special purpose vehicle (SPV) that will oversee major infrastructure projects, including tunnel roads and elevated corridors.

The new entity will have three directors, including one woman, who are expected to be appointed primarily from the private sector.

Earlier this week, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath submitted a proposal to the government, requesting the incorporation of the SPV under the Companies Act, 2013, along with the necessary Memorandum of Association (MOA) and Articles of Association (AOA). The company will be majority-owned by the Karnataka government, which will hold 90% of the shares, while the BBMP will own the remaining 10%.

The proposal is likely to be presented at the next state cabinet meeting. If approved, the BBMP will lose decision-making authority over large, government-funded infrastructure projects.

The BBMP’s role will primarily involve managing works funded by its own resources, such as property taxes and advertisement revenue. These responsibilities include maintaining 11,500 km of ward roads, around 500,000 streetlights, nearly 205 lakes, public toilets, parks, and playgrounds. During the previous BJP government, a separate entity was created for solid waste management.

The SPV is expected to focus solely on government-funded projects, such as tunnel roads, long elevated corridors, and the white-topping of roads. Notably, the SPV’s jurisdiction will extend beyond the BBMP boundaries to include infrastructure projects within the Bengaluru Urban district.

In his recent budget speech, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the creation of an SPV to prioritise major development projects in Bengaluru. The matter was first reported by DH on February 23.

Nine members

As per the initial plan, the SPV's governing body will consist of nine members.

The Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD) will serve as the ex-officio chairman, while the BBMP chief commissioner will act as the managing director. Other directors will include the mayor, the commissioners of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The BBMP engineer-in-chief will be the technical director.

However, concerns have been raised about a potential loss of accountability, as the SPV will not be directly answerable to elected councillors. Some experts argue that instead of creating a separate institution, the government should have focused on strengthening the BBMP.