Greater Bengaluru Authority: A ray of hope or a setback as floods inundate the tech city?

Hindustan Times

20-05-2025

Urban policy experts have offered mixed reactions to the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), expressing both cautious optimism and concerns about its structure, governance, and potential impact on city planning and livability. The reactions come even as the city grapples with heavy flooding, with several areas submerged following torrential rains.
Experts see the GBA's promise of better coordination among key government bodies, like the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), as a positive step toward tackling the city's recurring waterlogging issues.
Also Read: Bengaluru floods: IT hub resembles Venice as major tech parks and prime apartments flooded
However, they caution that without addressing the fundamental problem of encroached and filled-in lakes, now reduced to around 80 from several hundred, Bengaluru's flooding crisis is unlikely to be resolved. Even if lake areas are developed locally, the natural water contours remain, causing water to follow its original path and flood low-lying areas. Experts stress that reclaiming natural water channels and ensuring proper drainage are essential for sustainable urban management.
They say waterlogging is a persistent issue in Bengaluru, particularly in the rapidly expanding eastern areas like Whitefield and northern Bengaluru, where infrastructure development has not kept pace.
"Stronger collaboration between agencies is crucial," said Vishwanath S., former Secretary-General of the International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association. "For instance, departments managing stormwater drains and lakes must work in tandem to ensure effective water management. Success hinges on the seamless coordination of various systems, which is essential to achieving tangible improvements on the ground."
Urban experts argue that the issue is not merely administrative—it is fundamentally a structural problem.
"Bengaluru used to have many major lakes, but now only about 80 remain. Most real estate developers have constructed these lakes. While at a local level, it's possible to fill in a lake area and develop it, the land contours remain unchanged. Water still follows its natural path, flooding roads and low-lying areas. How do we reclaim water channels and ensure proper drainage out of the city? Unless that's done, it's difficult to solve this problem," Sarang Kulkarni, MD of Descon Ventures, said.
He emphasised the need for a comprehensive master plan that goes beyond land use to include long-term infrastructure goals. A coordinated approach is essential to ensure future-ready planning. Currently, Bengaluru lacks a fully functional, updated master plan. Previous efforts, such as the Revised Master Plan 2031, were ultimately abandoned in 2022.
'Whenever a new authority is established, there is often friction, and it takes time for all stakeholders to align,' Kulkarni said. 'Until the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) stabilizes and is seen as a unified vision by everyone involved, progress will remain slow. That said, the government must ensure that as the city expands, infrastructure leads development, not the other way around, as we've seen in the east and north, where haphazard growth has led to frequent flooding.'
Also Read: Greater Bengaluru Authority replaces BBMP as city's main civic agency: Here's what it means
Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO of Janagraha, highlighted the Greater Bengaluru Authority's (GBA) potential to enhance urban planning and coordination among city agencies. He noted that if implemented effectively, the GBA could unlock under utilised land, promote densification, and optimise the metro network to reduce congestion and improve mobility. However, he cautioned that achieving these outcomes would require staffing the GBA with professionals skilled in transport planning.
"Urban sprawl cannot be the solution. Controlled Floor Space Index (FSI), enhancing infrastructure and connectivity, and introducing differential development control regulations (DCR) are crucial," he said. Indian land prices are often irrationally high. Unless we integrate planning with mobility—especially last-mile connectivity—we will continue expanding the city in unsustainable ways."
Differential Development Control Regulations (DCR) are zoning rules that vary within an area, enabling diverse development intensities and types in different zones.
Sathya Sankaran, also known as the Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru, said that dividing BBMP into smaller municipal corporations could make city governance more effective. He argued that these smaller units would be easier to manage, with the ability to generate their own revenue, seek development grants, and independently plan their spending. "Smaller cities are easier to govern, but they must have the autonomy to generate funds and make planning decisions independently."
Sandeep Anirudhan, convenor of the Citizens' Agenda for Bengaluru, highlighted a key governance gap since the 74th Constitutional Amendment in 1993, which mandated that the city be managed with support from a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC).
However, Anirudhan pointed out that despite being formally established, the MPC remains largely non-functional and critically under-resourced. 'There isn't a single transport planner within the MPC, nor has it produced a comprehensive master plan,' he said, underscoring the urgent need to build professional urban planning capacities.
Satya Arikutharam, former Chief Technical Advisor to the Karnataka government and now an independent consultant, said, the GBA might dilute the role of agencies like the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA). 'Effective city planning must integrate land use and transport. Look at Whitefield's Sarjapur Road — it saw major development without any coordinated transport planning. BMLTA was supposed to fix this, but two years since the Act passed, implementation has been weak,' he said.
He stressed the need for assessing the impact of ongoing real estate approvals, especially in peripheral areas where planning permission for large real estate projects is granted without adequate transport infrastructure. 'Real estate thrives on the perception of city expansion, but that should not come at the cost of sustainable development,' he said.
Experts emphasise the need to empower smaller municipal corporations within the new governance framework
Anirudhan pointed out that the new structure has diluted the role of municipal corporations. "Real autonomy for Bengaluru's smaller corporations can only be achieved when mayors are given genuine decision-making powers," he said.
He also urged the state government to look into model laws, such as the Model Municipal Law 2003, proposed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, which advocates for decentralization and enhanced civic accountability.