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Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Proposal to include Tumakuru under Greater Bengaluru Authority soon: Karnataka Home Minister
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said Monday that a proposal will be submitted soon to the government to include Tumakuru under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). While speaking to reporters, Parameshwara pointed out that Tumakuru, which is around 70 km from Bengaluru, was growing rapidly. 'There is an industrial hub (at Tumakuru) in an area of 20,000 acre. Many are demanding that Tumakuru be expanded like Bengaluru. A study is being conducted on the issue,' he said. 'In the manner in which Ramanagar is renamed Bengaluru South, if Tumakuru is included in Greater Bengaluru, it will benefit us in terms of development. We will submit a proposal regarding the same,' Parameshwara, who is also in-charge minister for the Tumakuru district, said. The proposal came amidst demands to extend the Bengaluru Metro services to Tumakuru to boost connectivity between the two cities. The minister said the Karnataka government will take a call on extending Metro services to Tumakuru. 'Union Minister V Somanna has said that Tumakuru requires metro connectivity. Let there be both Metro and suburban rail connectivity,' he said. The Greater Bengaluru Authority was notified by the Karnataka Government last month after the GBA Act was passed in the Budget Session of the Assembly. The Act provided for the expansion of Bengaluru by including panchayats from areas neighbouring the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Multiple city corporations under GBA are also possible under the provisions of the Bill. Responding to a question on reports that he had asked for a change in portfolio, Parameshwara lashed out at media outlets for defaming him by publishing unverified reports. 'There were reports that I had asked for a change of portfolio with the chief minister (following the stampede at M Chinnaswamy stadium). Who told this to you (the media)? Please verify facts before publishing any news,' he said.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Civic groups question Greater Bengaluru Authority Act over centralisation concerns
Bengaluru: Taking objection to the haphazard manner in which the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has been rolled out, several civic activists are contemplating legal options to prevent what they call derailment and destruction of decentralised governance in the city. At a public discussion organised by CIVIC Bangalore here Saturday, activists said they plan to file a PIL plea in this regard. In the current form, GBA will weaken local decision-making and hamper effective civic administration in Bengaluru, they claimed. On the govt's justification that GBA had to be brought in as Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had failed in administering the city, CIVIC Bangalore executive trustee Kathyanai Chamaraj said: "BBMP did not fail because of internal inefficiency, it was was systematically undermined by the govt. " One of the major criticisms by experts is that the govt failed to expand Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC), a body meant to coordinate various parastatal agencies, and instead opted to create GBA, which took away crucial planning and financial powers from BBMP. This move will leave the city's smaller municipal corporations with limited authority and resources, forcing them to depend heavily on the state-controlled GBA for major projects and budgets, they said. Satyajit Arikutharam, mobility expert, spoke about the impact the bill will have on major mobility decisions: "BMLTA (Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority) Act is already in force — the problem isn't the absence of law, but the deliberate neglect of it. Mega projects like tunnel roads are being pushed through without scrutiny, undermining public transport goals and democratic oversight. We're seeing real estate interests take precedence over planning, and citizens are left paying the price. This isn't just bad governance, it is an erosion of accountability disguised as development." TR Raghunandan, former bureaucrat, said the GBA Act is being sold to people as a reform, but in reality, it's a dangerous centralisation of power. "It creates multiple urban populations without constitutional backing, ignoring the spirit of the 74th Amendment. There's no clarity on what local bodies actually do. It's all PowerPoint governance and not actual empowerment. The Act pretends to devolve power while concentrating it at the top. This is not local self-governance; it's a model of elected monarchies. If we are serious about democracy and functional devolution, we need real responsibilities at the local level, not ornamental laws that weaken it further."
Hans India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
BBMP to be replaced with Greater Bengaluru Authority, says Siddaramaiah as bill comes into effect
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the Governor Thawarchand Gehlot has given assent to the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, and it will come into effect on Thursday. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be replaced with the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority, said the Chief Minister while speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. The Greater Bengaluru Bill has been passed in both the Houses of the state legislature, he added. "Bengaluru will be known as Greater Bengaluru now. There is a possibility of forming at least three corporations within the Greater Bengaluru region. The Chief Minister will serve as the chairperson of the authority, and appropriate decisions will be taken in the coming days," Siddaramaiah said. The Karnataka Government had officially notified the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) on Tuesday, marking the end of the BBMP as the city's governing body. The state government has announced that the land coming under the BBMP has been notified as the land which will come under the GBA as per Section 1 (2) of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. Until the procedures are done, the concerned officers will carry out powers and responsibilities in the BBMP. The Urban Development department has stated that an administrator would be appointed following the BBMP ceasing to exist. Once the administrator is appointed, the rules and guidelines will be formed. As per the GBA Act, the Authority under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister will have to be formed within 120 days. The Bengaluru Development Minister will be the Vice President. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is in-charge of the Bengaluru Development portfolio. The legislators, ministers from Bengaluru, mayors of corporations, Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) Commissioner, Bengaluru Water and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) President, Managing Directors of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) will be members. The Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District, Bengaluru Police Commissioner and others would also be members. Sources said that the government wants to create three city corporations with 125 wards each, and boundaries will be identified. As per the act, all the regions coming under the GBA will be called as Bengaluru region. The Congress government in Karnataka on June 23, 2024, tabled the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, in the Assembly, which proposes to split the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into many city corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Area. The government maintained that the Bill has been moved with the objective of effective, participatory, and responsive urban governance in the Greater Bengaluru Area. It also proposes to establish a Greater Bengaluru Authority for coordinating and supervising the development of the Greater Bengaluru Area. 'The provisions of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act, 2020 (Act 53 of 2020) are inadequate to govern Bengaluru as they don't constitute any institutions that can address the fragmentation of governance in Bengaluru due to the multiplicity of civic agencies and lack of coordination between them,' the act states. The BJP and JD (S) are opposed to the implementation of the act. The BJP has staged a protest and called the move unconstitutional as it contradicts the 74th Constitutional Amendment. A representation was also made to the Governor in this regard.
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Greater Bengaluru Authority to take over BBMP tomorrow, aims to streamline urban governance
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will replace the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) from Thursday, May 15, a government notification announced on Wednesday, stating that the decision aims to streamline urban governance and address the city's growing challenges, including infrastructure, traffic and the urban sprawl. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister, said last week that the transition to the GBA would occur within days. The new authority is expected to restructure Bengaluru's civic administration by dividing the BBMP into multiple corporations, a move designed to enhance efficiency and localise governance. The GBA Act, passed by the Karnataka Legislature in February 2024, responds to long-standing calls for governance reform in Bengaluru, a city grappling with population growth, strained infrastructure, and environmental concerns. Unlike the BBMP, which oversees a 709-sq-km area, the GBA was initially proposed to expand city limits to over 1,000 sq km, incorporating peripheral villages. However the government has paused plans for this expansion, opting to retain the BBMP boundaries for now. Villages outside the current limits will remain under gram panchayats, ensuring rural governance structures are preserved. Government officials stated that expansion would take place systematically after the authority's regulations are formalised. As per the GBA Act, an officer not below the rank of additional chief secretary is appointed as the chief commissioner by the state government, with the chief minister, who chairs the GBA, and the Bengaluru development minister, who serves as its vice-chairperson, likely playing key roles in the decision-making process. The chief commissioner's term is three years. The final Bill removed earlier provisions that had allowed for the officer's removal by a two-thirds majority of the GBA on grounds of misconduct, neglect, or incapacity, ensuring a more secure tenure under state control. However, this appointment process has raised concerns among civic groups and activists. They argue that the state's direct appointment of the chief commissioner centralises power, potentially undermining the 74th constitutional amendment, which emphasises local self-governance. The GBA also absorbs several provisions of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority by planning and coordinating transport in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area. It also integrates and supervises authorities such as the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited, and the Bangalore Development Authority, issuing binding directions to streamline municipal and transport activities.
