BENGALURU: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has sent the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which was passed in the legislative Assembly and Council during the recent session, back to the state government, seeking some clarifications.
In a note to the government, the governor said that he is of the opinion that before going ahead with the Bill, concerns of various civic organisations and stakeholders should be addressed.
The Bill proposes to restructure Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) by splitting it up to seven municipal corporations.
Leaders of BJP, the main opposition party, and various civic organisations have met him and submitted memorandums stating that the Bill is in violation of the 74th Constitutional amendment and disempowers the State Election Commission, the governor said.
The governor said the leaders of BJP and civic organisations expressed concern that the Bill allows the government to have its control over Greater Bengaluru Area rather than empowering urban local bodies.
He said they also expressed concern that certain provisions of the Bill weaken people’s participation in the city’s civic affairs. According to them, the Bill is a threat to Bengaluru’s culture and demography, the governor stated.
The Bill proposes to form up to seven municipal corporations on the model of New Delhi. “But this experiment failed in New Delhi and a similar situation may arise here too. Therefore, it is advised to take this matter into consideration,’’ the governor said.
It also proposes to constitute Greater Bengaluru Governance Authority to supervise the functioning of the proposed municipal corporations. “This may lead to interference with the powers of elected local bodies set up under the 74th amendment. Hence, this issue needs to be re-looked into,’’ the governor said. Bengaluru has been without a BBMP Council since 2020. Elections to the BBMP Council have not been held for various reasons. The move to bring this Bill further delayed the elections. The Bill was passed during the recent session and the Opposition party opposed it and later submitted a memorandum to the governor.