BENGALURU: Just two days after the state government announced that a committee will be formed for delimitation of wards in Bengaluru, citizen groups and former corporators expressed their fears and apprehensions. The former corporators said that 59 wards are less than 1 sqkm. They will submit the list to the BBMP head office and the delimitation committee. The list includes wards Shivajinagar, which is spread across 0.4 sqkm, Padarayanapura with 0.3 sqkm area, T Dasarahalli, Yeshwanthpur, Mathikere etc.
Members of ward committees in Mahadevapura pointed out that there are eight wards in the constituency with an average size of 14 sqkm. “The government wants to reconstitute the wards here and increase them from eight to 12. But it will still not be on par with the 59 wards. The government is going by the 2011 census and still, the ward size will be small,” said Murali, a resident of Mahadevapura.
A former corporator, requesting anonymity, said the government is not adopting a scientific approach, the method of dividing the ward has not yet been ascertained and there is no clarity from the government. He alleged that it is clearly a ploy to delay the elections. By the time the delimitation exercise is completed, the 2011 census figures will no more be applicable, he said.
MLA S Raghu, head of the joint legislature BBMP restructuring committee, said no meeting has been held so far and the work has not started. All opinions will be incorporated during the delimitation exercise, he said.