<p>Opposing the splitting of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) citing negative implications that will have a bearing on ‘Brand Bengaluru’, the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI) has made a slew of recommendations to strengthen the civic body. <br /><br /></p>.<p>At an interactive session with the BBMP Restructuring Committee’s chairperson B S Patil and two members on Monday, the FKCCI shared deep reservations about the possible “bifurcation”. In a power-point presentation, the FKCCI’s Captain M M Harish said redrawing municipal boundaries for smaller corporations would cause confusion and conflict. It will cause problems for investors who will have to deal with multiple corporations. Politically, a fragmented polity and absence of a single political leader will have a negative effect. <br /><br />On the administrative side, division of assets and liabilities will be time-consuming and may lead to conflicts. The division of personnel will be a big problem as the Palike is short-staffed. The present lack of co-ordination will also continue. Huge initial expenditure will be needed for setting up new corporations: infrastructure, staff, transport facilities etc.<br /><br /> “On the whole, splitting the BBMP will put the clock back by 10 years,” said Harish. <br />He cited the advantages of having a single municipal authority and dismissed comparisons with cities like London, New York. <br /><br />“London, New York and many cities in the Western have city governance systems very different from Indian cities, including Bengaluru, where the mayor is directly elected for 4-5 years and is the executive head of the entire metropolitan city. In New York, the mayor has jurisdiction over all five boroughs and administers most city services including the police.” <br /><br />Harish recommended measures such as citizen-centric governance, accountability, directly electing the mayor for five years, taking planning function out of the BDA and entrusting to it the Metropolitan Planning Committee and decentralising power.<br /> <br />Report by June <br /><br />Replying to the suggestion, Patil said there was lack of consensus on what changes could be brought in. “The City’s haphazard growth led to calls for restructuring. We are considering direct mayoral elections, decentralisation of power, Bengaluru domain, political structure, etc. Yet you have not named the zonal authority. How will you fill the gap? Will that be a politician or a bureaucrat? The daunting task is to have a system with a legal back-up.” Patil told the gathering he wanted to finish the job by June. <br /></p>
<p>Opposing the splitting of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) citing negative implications that will have a bearing on ‘Brand Bengaluru’, the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI) has made a slew of recommendations to strengthen the civic body. <br /><br /></p>.<p>At an interactive session with the BBMP Restructuring Committee’s chairperson B S Patil and two members on Monday, the FKCCI shared deep reservations about the possible “bifurcation”. In a power-point presentation, the FKCCI’s Captain M M Harish said redrawing municipal boundaries for smaller corporations would cause confusion and conflict. It will cause problems for investors who will have to deal with multiple corporations. Politically, a fragmented polity and absence of a single political leader will have a negative effect. <br /><br />On the administrative side, division of assets and liabilities will be time-consuming and may lead to conflicts. The division of personnel will be a big problem as the Palike is short-staffed. The present lack of co-ordination will also continue. Huge initial expenditure will be needed for setting up new corporations: infrastructure, staff, transport facilities etc.<br /><br /> “On the whole, splitting the BBMP will put the clock back by 10 years,” said Harish. <br />He cited the advantages of having a single municipal authority and dismissed comparisons with cities like London, New York. <br /><br />“London, New York and many cities in the Western have city governance systems very different from Indian cities, including Bengaluru, where the mayor is directly elected for 4-5 years and is the executive head of the entire metropolitan city. In New York, the mayor has jurisdiction over all five boroughs and administers most city services including the police.” <br /><br />Harish recommended measures such as citizen-centric governance, accountability, directly electing the mayor for five years, taking planning function out of the BDA and entrusting to it the Metropolitan Planning Committee and decentralising power.<br /> <br />Report by June <br /><br />Replying to the suggestion, Patil said there was lack of consensus on what changes could be brought in. “The City’s haphazard growth led to calls for restructuring. We are considering direct mayoral elections, decentralisation of power, Bengaluru domain, political structure, etc. Yet you have not named the zonal authority. How will you fill the gap? Will that be a politician or a bureaucrat? The daunting task is to have a system with a legal back-up.” Patil told the gathering he wanted to finish the job by June. <br /></p>
