Is Small really efficient for BBMP?
Palike (BBMP)’.
It has been about six years from April 2007 when 100 wards of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike merged with sevenCity Municipal Councils (CMC)s, one Town Municipal Council (TMC) and 111 village around the city to form a single administrative area renamed as ‘Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara
Now, in 2014, finding it tough to manage the current 198 wards spread over an area of 800 sq km with a population of 95 lakh under single administration, Bangalore in-charge minister R Ramalinga Reddy is promoting the logic “small is efficient” and thus, pushing for the bifurcation of BBMP on the lines of Delhi. As the proposal has been put before the chief minister Siddaramaiah for the final decision, he has given a green signal to form the committee for the same. The committee has been awarded three months for submitting a report on the ways and means for the process of splitting BBMP. As it is likely for BBMP to be bifurcated, there needs to be an in depth analysis on the impact of this decision by the government. Though there is a good intent behind this decision, it should not be implemented in haste.
Is the government’s decision to split the BBMP a healthy and genuine measure? Yes, ultimately the step by the government is in the right direction. But, the efficiency and efficacy of the bifurcation lies in the effective and planned implementation of this process. Bifurcation of BBMP was one of the manifesto promises made by the Congress during assembly polls in 2013, and this fits in line with the present situation. When compared to other countries like China and United Kingdom, mayors of a city play a key role in the matters of development initiatives in the city. Whereas in India, the governance structure need some fix to empower the City mayors along with the central and state tiers to decide their own destiny. Bifurcation could bring various challenges along with the opportunities and therefore, there needs to be a planned measures to tackle both. To
understand the probable opportunities and challenges posed by bifurcation of BBMP, lets have a detailed outlook: Positives Bifurcation can increase the management of urban planning (master plan preparation and taking care of amenities such as water supply, sanitation, etc.). The decision of bifurcating BBMP by the civic agency can be seen as a practical solution as the government’s ideology to include the suburbs into the jurisdiction of BBMP had not worked well with the rapid urban sprawl in the city. Splitting the BBMP would lead to creation of more employment in the city. Bifurcation of the BBMP will help in betterment of administration which is very poor at local levels of each of the old City Municipal Council. Negatives The bifurcation would mean a lot of administrative changes at huge initial administrative costs. Identity of Bangalore as one city will get dissolved. There will be an increased need for municipal co-operation, which could lead to several challenges to the municipal autonomy. Responsible tasks Only bifurcation is not the solution for great administration, more focus should be shed on effective governance along with sharp and smart administration methods. Participatory approach which is inclusive of local population, rather than government officials should be encouraged in the decision making. The zoning process should be given a good amount of thought and logic to maintain the precise balance between municipalities. More emphasis should be laid on making District Planning Committee (DPC) and Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) strong and impactful. Source: CommonFloor.com For Latest Updates on Real Estate Updates, Property News and Cities Infrastructure Developments Visit: http://www.commonfloor.com/guide
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