Bengaluru, one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, is about to undergo a major overhaul in city governance. By initiating the process to implement the contentious Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA), the Siddaramaiah government has taken upon itself the monumental task of changing the way the state capital is governed and more importantly, the responsibility to its direct supervision.
The Act, which got the Governor’s assent earlier this week, may have to clear some more hurdles before it is fully set in motion to bring in the intended changes, as the opposition and some resident groups plan to take up a legal fight. But, the real challenge for the government would be to implement the Act in letter and spirit to fulfill its stated objective — to improve the quality of life of all citizens by instituting a decentralised, participative, efficient and equitable governance framework.
Over the next few weeks and months, the government’s actions will reflect its resolve in that direction. The failure to take the right measures might otherwise suggest that it was merely a move to usurp the powers of urban local bodies by weakening them, or an attempt to delay the local bodies elections in the state capital. There should not be any further delay in holding the elections, though it may take some time to have new corporations.
In the new system, the chief minister will directly oversee the city’s development as he heads the Greater Bengaluru Authority. It is to ensure better coordination between the smaller corporations that will be formed by splitting the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and various other agencies involved in the city governance. Though GBGA provides for establishing “not more than seven city corporations”, the government is keen on having three corporations in Bengaluru. Also, the Act aims to further empower the Ward Committees to become basic units of urban governance and facilitate community participation.
In 1949, the Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike – or the city corporation – was established by merging two municipalities in charge of the “City Area” and the “Cantonment Area”. According to the latest State Economic Survey, the corporation started with seven divisions and as many elected councilors, and the population of Bengaluru was about 7,50,000. It grew over the years — to 1.40 crore today.
In 2007, the BBMP was formed by including seven City Municipal Councils, a Town Municipal Council, and 110 villages on the city’s periphery. Now that the huge administrative system will be split, the government contends that the smaller corporations would ensure better governance.
However, the top-heavy structure of the new system raises concerns that it goes against the 74th Constitution Amendment Act 1992, which provides a framework for the decentralisation of power to urban local bodies. The GBGA could lead to further concentration of powers with the CM, Bengaluru Development Minister, MPs and MLAs. Elected members of the smaller corporations will have a lesser say in bigger projects in the corporations. Those concerns need to be addressed.
In any case, the state government always decides on all major projects, because various agencies work in silos. Due to a lack of coordination among the agencies — the BBMP, the city police, water supply and electricity boards — citizens often get the impression that the city is in an autopilot mode.
Citizen participation is crucial to achieving the intended objectives of the new Act and to find a lasting solution to pressing concerns like flooding, solid waste management, traffic congestion, and making roads pedestrian-friendly. Often, the difficulties faced by common people — roads without street lights, pedestrians crossing busy roads, peak hour commuters struggling to find a foothold in the jam-packed Namma Metro, inadequate last-mile connectivity, and many such issues — hardly attract the deserved attention from those in power. It is not clear if the new system would be any better in terms of addressing problems at micro and macro levels.
The question remains: Can the CM and the Bengaluru Development Minister devote enough time and attention to the state capital? Apart from the important portfolios that they directly handle, the CM and the Deputy Chief Minister — who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, DK Shivakumar — will be swamped by many responsibilities to ensure the overall development of the state.
Ultimately, what matters is the efficiency and intent of those governing our cities and the citizens’ cooperation and participation in planning and development. The new system should not just end up being a top-down model, which defeats the purpose of local governance.