14 hours ago
GBG Act 2024 better than BBMP Act 2020 but falls short, says Janaagraha
Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy has evaluated the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, against four criteria that make the Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) score of Janaagraha and concluded that the Act scores a low 3.4 on 10.
The study shows that while the GBG Act marks progress over the BBMP Act, 2020, it still falls short of the reforms Bengaluru urgently requires. However, the draft of the GBG Bill, 2024, submitted to the government by the Brand Bengaluru Committee scores 6.8, double that of the GBG Act brought in by the State government.
The ASICS score evaluates the Acts based on four important criteria of urban planning and design: urban capacities and resources, empowered and legitimate political representation and transparency, accountability and participation.
'The GBG Act, 2024, makes some advances in municipal finance and staffing, but fails on critical aspects of planning, empowered political leadership, and citizen participation. The analysis concludes that the GBG Act, 2024, in its current form will fall short of Bengaluru's governance needs,' Janaagraha said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Janaagraha has recommended 46 specific actions to improve the Act. Apart from holding elections by March 2026, Janaagraha has said the government should notify rules with due public consultation in six months for key provisions such as election of mayors, ward committee functioning, preparation of budgets and accounts, and setting up of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee.
The report also recommends 24 amendments to the GBG Act, 2024, many of the provisions that were there in the draft bill submitted by the Brand Bengaluru Committee, but rejected by the political establishment and removed while drafting their version of the Bill, which was eventually made into an Act.
Some of these amendments include 'strengthening the law by instituting a full-term Mayor-in-Council system, empowering ward committees with funds and planning authority, mandating area sabhas for neighbourhood-level engagement, ensuring financial and administrative autonomy of city corporations, and embedding transparency through open data standards, audits, and live-streamed meetings'.
