Bengaluru: Experts and retired government officials have ripped the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill apart, saying it contradicts the 74th Amendment.
They also claim that the bill was drafted with political ambitions in mind, enabling corruption in public works.
These remarks were made during a seminar organised by CIVIC Bangalore in the city on Wednesday.
Dr TR Raghunandan, former joint secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, stated that the draft bill "murders" the 74th Constitutional Amendment in cold blood.
He recalled that Karnataka had pioneered the implementation of decentralised governance in rural areas several decades ago. "Ironically, attempts to implement the 74th Amendment for urban areas have been opposed or diluted by the political class, while decentralisation in rural areas faces no such resistance."
He pointed out that the 74th Amendment was implemented through piecemeal amendments to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (KMC) Act. Dr Raghunandan also highlighted those regular elections to urban local bodies in Karnataka had not been conducted on time, despite Supreme Court orders.
Dr Anjali Mohan, Urban and Regional Planner and Partner at Integrated Design, noted that the bill fails to clarify the jurisdiction of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). "The proposal to split Bengaluru into multiple corporations may lead to gentrification and create issues in the reallocation of resources unless carefully planned," she said.
Sandeep Anirudhan from the Citizens’ Agenda for Bengaluru also spoke at the seminar.
Published 28 August 2024, 21:47 IST