BENGALURU: If everything goes according to the plan of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) councillors, Electronics City will soon fall under BBMP limits.
In 2012, the then BJP-led BBMP Council passed a resolution which stated that villages in and around Electronics City — including Konappana Agrahara, Doddatugur, Gollahalli, Balaji Extension, Shikaripalya, Thirupalya, Neeladrinagar, Bettadasapura, Hulimangala, Govinda Shettypalya, Krishna Reddy Extension, Neo Town, Shanthipura, Veerasandra Industrial Area and Veerasandra — will be brought under the BBMP’s jurisdiction.
However, the erstwhile BJP government issued a township status for Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA) that has over 180 establishments including IT companies. With this, Dodda Thoguru, Konappana Agrahara and Veerasandra villages — consisting of industries, educational institutions, hotels and other commercial establishments — came under Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA) in 2013.
Now, after three years, the Congress-JD(S)-led BBMP wants Electronics City to come under its purview. Senior Congress councillor M K Gunashekar said, “Electronics City is just two kilometres outside the BBMP limits. Employees of the companies here travel from the other side every day. The roads, water and street lights on the way are provided by the BBMP. What then is the harm in including this region in the BBMP limits?” he questioned.
“I will write to Mayor Manjunath Reddy seeking his permission to raise the issue in the council. If he allows it, we can pass the resolution and send it to the state government again. The rest is up to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet,” he added.
Another Congress councillor, who did not wish to be named, pointed out that Narayana Nethralaya and Narayana Hrudayalaya are located in Electronics City.
“When we call 108 to request an ambulance, they refuse to ply outside of Bengaluru. Bringing the hospitals within the city limits would help,” the councillor said.
Mayor Bats For it
When contacted, Mayor Manjunath Reddy said: “I think Electronics City should come under the BBMP limits. People who are working in companies in the region are using the infrastructure provided by BBMP. This is just an eyewash to avoid paying heavy tax. If the companies fall under the BBMP limits, they would have to pay more property tax. Currently, they just pay taxes as per Panchayat norms, which is a pittance for them,” he said. He also blamed ELCITA for opposing the move to make the region a City Muncipal Corporation. “Surrounding areas are town muncipal corporations. These people, in order to avoid paying more tax, do not want it to become a CMC,” he alleged.
Development is Uneven, says villager
Siddaraju, a resident of Dodda Thoguru, part of which falls under Electronics City, said after ELCITA became a township, development of the area has been uneven. While roads and other facilities are good inside ELCITA, the surrounding villages still have poor roads and no drainage system at many places. “ELCITA uses the revenue it generates to develop its own premises. It must develop the surrounding areas as well,” he demanded.
We Can Manage: ELCITA
Rama N S, chief executive officer, Electronics City Industrial Township Authority, said the notification was issued in March 2013. The authority, formed in May, only started working in November. “Earlier, roads and drains were managed by ELCIA. ELCITA now collects property tax, issues khata, building plan approval and other services. It is an area of 900 acres and all services are now paperless. BBMP may think it will get more revenue by bringing us under their purview, but it is not true,” she said. “Let them (BBMP) improve the areas already in their limits and we will manage our township. If both improve with the same standard, then they can be merged,” she added.
Officials Say No
A senior BBMP engineer said, “On one hand, Congress wants to divide BBMP into three city muncipal councils as it feels Bengaluru is too big for the civic body to manage. On the other hand, elected representatives want to extend the BBMP limits. There is also demand to include Kempegowda International Airport in the BBMP limits. If they go through with the extension for the sake of revenue, who will develop these areas?”