Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024 provides for three-tier structure with provision to carve out multiple corporations
The draft of The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, submitted to the State government by the Brand Bengaluru Committee, formerly known as the BBMP Restructuring Committee, provides for a three-tier governance of the city, and for the first time, brings all parastatals on one platform. The Bill is expected to be tabled in the upcoming session of the legislature.
It is a modular Bill that provides for multiple corporations, from one to 10, and makes provision for up to 400 wards. The draft Bill doesn’t specify the number of corporations, even as the BBMP Restructuring Committee report submitted in 2015 recommended for five corporations.
Number of wards
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had 198 wards, and it has now been increased to 225. The Bill provides for a mayor-in-council with up to 12 members in each corporation, scrapping the standing committee system.
The ward committees will have proportional representation and every candidate who contests for a councillor’s post and secure 10% votes will get one seat on the ward committee.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), led by the Chief Minister and co-chaired by the Bengaluru Development Minister, with four Ministers, all city MLAs, and chiefs of all parastatals like the BDA, the BWSSB, Bescom, BMRCL, BMTC, will be the apex body governing the city.
“The GBA will function without disturbing the autonomy of these agencies. The BDA which is currently the planning authority will continue to function but after the Bill is enacted, the GBA will become the apex planning authority for the city,” a person in the know said.
“The GBA will not govern corporations, but take pan city-level decisions regarding issues like major roads, storm-water drains, and other issues, in case of multiple corporations,” said a source in the Brand Bengaluru Committee.
“The Delhi model of trifurcation failed owing to the absence of equity in distributing finances. However, the GBA will do the balancing act to maintain equity among the corporations,” he added.
Taxation
He said that the corporations will have autonomy to collect property tax which will be used without the interference of the GBA. However, the GBA will maintain equity through State government grants.
But the GBA will distribute State and Central funds based on the financial need of the corporations. For instance, if one corporation earns more revenue through property tax compared to another, then the GBA will address the shortfall of the latter by crediting more funds. This will maintain equity among the corporations.
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