BBMP restructuring bill an excuse to delay Council elections: Citizens forum

Bengaluru: The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill 2024, which is likely to be tabled in the monsoon session of the legislature, has drawn criticism from the civil society for being drafted without public consultations.

Critics also argue that the bill is merely an excuse to delay the civic body elections.

The Citizens’ Action Forum (CAF) highlighted that an expert committee on restructuring the BBMP had submitted a report in 2015-16. The report comprised six chapters, with only one discussing the division of the civic body.

"The rest cover more systemic and crucial topics like departmental overhaul, cadre and recruitment rules, spatial planning methods, and procurement of land for public spaces, among others. More importantly, these measures do not require splitting the BBMP and could have been implemented at any time, if improving governance was the objective," said Vijayan Menon, president of CAF.

"It is such glaring cherry-picking of aspects of the report that lends credence to the belief that this whole drama is being enacted with the singular purpose of indefinitely postponing the BBMP elections,” he added.

The CAF also noted that the proposal to form a Greater Bengaluru Authority lacks a concrete plan for the infrastructure and skilled personnel required to implement it, as well as an estimated cost to the exchequer.

"At best, it can be considered a preliminary conceptual framework far removed from an operational plan that can actually be implemented. As such, it must be seen as just that — a blue skies wishlist that needs to undergo many processes, discussions, detailed studies, and most importantly, a public debate.

“However, what is being proposed is an immediate enactment by the government,” the forum stated.