Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill Sent To House Committee For In-Depth Review

The contentious Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which proposes a superbody to run the state capital and up to 10 municipalities, was referred to a joint legislature committee for scrutiny on Thursday.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also oversees the Bengaluru City Development portfolio, moved the Bill for consideration in the Assembly, only to face resistance from the Opposition BJP.

"This is a Bill to break Bengaluru. I seek a House committee composed of lawmakers from the Legislative Assembly and Council to study the Bill in order to give some shape to Bengaluru," said Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka. "The city will be in trouble if you push this Bill prepared by some officers. Keep the Bill pending for now," Ashoka told Shivakumar. Yeshwanthpur BJP MLA S T Somashekhar also supported the idea of referring the Bill to a House committee, but praised Shivakumar for "taking a historic decision" by introducing it.

The Bill, introduced in the Assembly on Tuesday, allows Bengaluru to have up to 10 municipal corporations and a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) headed by the chief minister. The GBA will have financial and administrative functions, including "coordination, execution, and administration of plans, schemes, and major projects."

Shivakumar said that he is not in a hurry to pass the Bill. "This needs wide debate. I accept referring the Bill to a House committee," he said, adding that he had discussed the matter with lawmakers from across parties representing Bengaluru. Piloting the Bill earlier, Shivakumar said Bengaluru needed a new shape. "We need to build Brand Bengaluru," he said.

"The city's population is now 1.4 crore. We need to infuse strength. There are many big issues. To carry Bengaluru globally, we need administrative reforms and provide more facilities to citizens. This Bill will give economic power and administrative regulation to Bengaluru," he stated.