Karnataka Govt Proposes Bill To Divide BBMP Into 5 Smaller Corporations

The contentious proposal to reorganize the "unscientifically" formed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into five smaller municipal corporations under a Greater Bengaluru Authority has resurfaced.

Although previously shelved, the Karnataka Government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is reportedly eager to revive it before the BBMP or the proposed smaller Corporations' elections.

According to reports, a Bill is being drafted for this purpose.

The restructuring is anticipated to align with the recommendations of the BBMP Restructuring Committee, established in November 2014 during Siddaramaiah's initial term as Chief Minister. The Committee presented its final report in July 2015. However, the proposal faced strong opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leading to the plan's suspension.

Later, the Committee proposed the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill in 2018. The committee, chaired by retired IAS officer B S Patil, was reconvened in June last year. It recently presented its findings at a meeting chaired by Siddaramaiah with Bengaluru legislators.

Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad informed The Indian Express that the state government is interested in implementing a decentralized system. "BBMP is not a scientifically structured organization capable of managing a large city like Bengaluru," he stated.

The government will decide in the coming days on how to restructure the civic body. Although details are yet to be finalized, the government is inclined in that direction. "There is a lot of uproar when things go wrong. A robust system can address public concerns promptly," added the MLA.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara who supports the move, compares the plan to London's multiple councils for better governance. "That has been there for a long time. When I was the in-charge minister, we were also contemplation dividing Bengaluru Corporation so that effective administration would happen. If you look at London, they have so many councils. We want effective administration to take place and that is why we are contemplating to divide Bengaluru city..," he said.

In addition to restructuring discussions, the recent meeting with Bengaluru legislators reportedly focused on the long-delayed BBMP polls. The Congress government is said to have discussed strategies for restructuring the civic body and conducting elections concurrently.

The 2018 proposed Bill recommended restructuring the city's governance by establishing multiple Municipal Corporations within a three-tier governance framework to ensure closer and more accessible local government. This framework includes empowered Ward Committees at the lowest level, a set of Municipal Corporations at the middle level, and a Greater Bengaluru Authority.

The Committee's suggestions included increasing the number of wards to around 400 to ensure effective administration within BBMP's approximately 712 square kilometer limits.