BENGALURU: The mayor and deputy mayor in Bengaluru will get a 30-month term (two-and-a-half years), instead of the present one year. Also, the number of wards in the city will increase from 198 to 225. These recommendations, made by the Joint Legislature Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Restructuring Committee, were approved by the state government on Monday. Besides, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner will now be called ‘Chief Commissioner’, but the decision to divide the city into five zones or 10-12 from the present eight, is likely to be taken at a meeting scheduled next week.
Each zone will be headed by a zonal commissioner. It was also decided that there will be eight standing committees, instead of 12, at the BBMP. The Appeals Committee will be merged with the Tax and Finances Committee, Education with Social Justice, and Horticulture with Markets. The Chief Commissioner will have a say in the formation of ward committees and the members to be a part of them. He can suggest who to include and what works to be taken up.
The government also agreed that a Member of the Legislative Council will have to forgo his right to vote in the BBMP Council. S Raghu, chairman of the restructuring committee, told The New Indian Express, “Extension of the Mayor’s term does not mean the serving Mayor will continue (for 30 months).’’
New legislation to replace KMC Act
S Raghu, chairman of the restructuring committee, said, ‘‘The tenure of the Mayor and Council members ends on September 10, as scheduled. This will come into force after the next elections. Whatever was discussed at the maiden meeting last week was finalised today (Monday), while several other points of the committee report too were discussed.”
He said that the committee had earlier suggested that Bengaluru be sliced further into 10- 12 zones from the existing eight. “Today, we told the government to take a final decision. We suggested that if IAS officers of the rank of principal secretary are appointed, the city can have five zones, but if KAS-level officers are appointed, the government will have to form 10 zones. These officers (zonal commissioners) will work independently and take independent decisions, but in the Council, they will be answerable to the Chief Commissioner,” he said.
At the committee’s maiden meeting last week, the first 40 points of the report were discussed and finalised. The next 15 points of the report too were discussed. The committee has submitted 80 points in all to the government to formulate the Bengaluru Municipal Act 2020. The committee has written to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata civic authorities, seeking a copy of their respective municipal acts, to take the best out of them and structure one for Bengaluru.
Raghu said that once the new legislation comes into force, the KMC Act of 1976 will no longer be applicable to Bengaluru, but will continue for cities like Shivamogga, Hubballi-Dharwad and Mysuru. The next sub-committee meetings will be held this week, and the meeting with the government is scheduled for next week to take more decisions, before finalising the new Act.