'Let's restructure BBMP. India will call it the Bengaluru model'

Indicating its seriousness to split the BBMP into multiple smaller corporations, the state government in mid-June reappointed a three-member committee that had first proposed the restructuring of the BBMP in 2018.

Close to six years later, the committee sticks its neck out to assert that smaller municipal bodies are the solution to the civic problems that Bengaluru currently faces.

During a free-wheeling conversation with DH, B S Patil, former chief secretary and head of BBMP’s Restructuring Committee, shares his thoughts on a variety of issues.

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What problem in managing Bengaluru will be solved with restructuring?

The government is clear that the present dispensation of managing Bengaluru has failed and requires deep thinking on how to develop the city in the future. There is an influx of people. We may add another 10 million people in the next 5-10 years. The BBMP’s present structure will not be able to manage the city. We had prepared a report by taking into account the experience available in India and abroad.

What does your report say?

We are suggesting a three-tier governance structure, where the ward constitutes one layer comprising representatives from civil society, nominees of the councillor, and even defeated candidates. We have suggested creating three to five smaller corporations in place of the BBMP. In addition to that, we are putting forward the proposal for the establishment of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to oversee city planning. The narrative of Bengaluru being broken is wrong. By restructuring the BBMP, we want to strengthen the brand of Bengaluru. A smaller unit of governance is better.

Aren’t existing zonal divisions sufficient to solve the problems?

When we added 110 villages, we made no changes to the structure of the BBMP, resulting in an unwieldy present framework. This has led to delayed responses to grievances

There is no coordination between agencies. There is no vision. Our idea is to decentralise the administration. One man (mayor/commissioner) cannot run the entire city. Had the current system been working fine, we wouldn’t have failed. London did it in 1999. São Paulo did it in 2000. They are now world-class cities. I am not saying that all problems will be solved. However, the government must give it a try and restructure the BBMP.

How does restructuring help when half the existing problems are beyond the BBMP’s purview?

The GBA, which is a local planning authority, will address that. All the parastatal agencies such as BDA, BWSSB, BMRCL, etc will report to the GBA. We did not suggest a merger of water or electricity boards with the corporation as they are specialised agencies. We have proposed a Metropolitan Planning Area headed by the chief minister.

Mahadevapura has been demanding a separate municipality. Your thoughts?

If it is part of the BBMP area, our report – which proposes five corporations – will address this. The report is with the government.

What lessons can Bengaluru draw from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s merger and demerger?

Delhi divided the corporation without keeping revenue as the base. Coordination among three corporations cannot take place in isolation. It needs a planning body on top. Hence, we proposed GBA for the purpose of planning and coordination. Delhi may look at the Bengaluru model and demerge again. We are proposing such a structure that the whole country will start talking about. People will start calling it the Bengaluru model. Let’s give it a try.

Won’t there be an increase in administrative costs?

Even if the BBMP is split into 400 wards, the administrative cost will not go up as the number of staff will more or less remain the same. Our focus is to ensure citizens are brought closer to the local government.

How are you addressing the rampant corruption?

With empowered ward committees, there will be better checks and balances. The defeated candidate also gets a share of representation in the ward committee as well as the area sabha. There will be no veto power for anyone as we see today. We have also suggested administrative reforms.