BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) three-day public consultation about the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Bill across eight zones has come under flak from activists, resident welfare associations and urban experts, who say it is “injustice” to not give sufficient time to discuss such an important Bill.
Vijayan Menon, president of Citizens’ Action Forum, dubbed the consultation process a farce. “Consultation is just for namesake. Citizens were not informed in advance about public consultation on such an important subject. The duration of consultation is insufficient,” he said.
Launching a scathing attack on BBMP and the lawmakers’ panel on GBA, Sandeep Anirudhan, convener, Citizens’ Agenda for Bengaluru, said, “Is that enough time for citizens to study a volume of information and provide feedback? To study nearly 200 pages of legalese, understand the constitutional framework for urban governance, Nagarpalika Act 1992 (74th Amendment), the Model Municipal Law, Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation Guidelines, Policy Option Papers for framing municipal laws, etc, consider case studies and benchmarks worldwide, and offer suggestions and objections? What the government is unable to do in 32 years, it is hoping citizens will do in two days.”
He added that the government loves to brag that Bengaluru is the IT capital, but why can’t it put up a public portal disclosing all aspects of consultation, publish suggestions and objections, and mention if they are accepted or rejected, and cite explanations? The government needs to ensure transparent public consultation.
Anand BV, former member of the State Policy & Planning Commission, welcomed the GBA as a concept but seeks more clarity on the part of functionality. In the original bill, there is too much emphasis on ward committees rather than “Integrated ward detailed planning”.
The best aspect is the mayor is to be directly elected, emphasis on prudent financial management reforms of municipal funds, and more role of urban planners. However, the argument that controlled development will be realised in 3-4 decades if the GBA Bill is introduced, is a wrong notion.
He said the saddest part about Bengaluru’s administration is there is no Master Plan since 2015, making Bengaluru an orphan city. He said the master plan was published in 2005, anticipating a development period till 2015.
“There is no Master Plan for Bengaluru beyond 2015 for the last one decade. Even hundreds of roads proposed in the 2005 Master Plan are encroached on and not yet opened up.
Without real time master plans, how can controlled development be achieved? This is one of the reasons for the rise in unauthorised colonies. The only saving grace is that a Task Force for BMRDA region was promulgated to curtail the growth of unauthorised colonies.”