Splitting BBMP good for development of Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

"The city was spread across 220 sq km in 2006, while it is 800 sq km now. There are 198 wards and the population has almost crossed one crore. Hence, we had considered the option of dividing it to decentralise administration," he said

 Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that dividing Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into smaller corporations would help provide better administration. He was speaking at the Kempegowda Award ceremony hosted by the BBMP.

"The city was spread across 220 sq km in 2006 while it is 800 sq km now. There are 198 wards and the population has almost crossed one crore. Hence, we had considered the option of dividing it in order to decentralise administration," he said, and added that plans had to be shelved due to elections and a court stay.

Dividing BBMP is good for development and it will not affect brand image of Bengaluru, he said.

However, some are opposing it for the sake of opposing the government's move, he said.

19 tmcft of water

The city requires 19 tmcft of water and the demand may rise to 30 tmcft in future, Siddaramaiah said. In order to mitigate the water crisis, residents should adopt rain water harvesting, he added. Responding to criticism on improper waste management, he said his government had sanctioned Rs 4,520 crore, which no other previous government had.