Srikanth Vishwanathan, CEO of Jannagraha said: “The positive side of the cloud is the decentralization of powers and functions to zones and districts and citizen participation
The Karnataka State Assembly on Thursday passed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Bill 2020, which proposes a new governance structure for the city. But some citizens have opposed the bill. The bill that decentralizes power in Bengaluru, increases the mandate of mayor, has met with resistance from various sectors.
The Janaagraha Center for Citizenship and Democracy is one of the non-profit trusts that has raised some questions related to the bill: “The 2020 BBMP bill is a missed opportunity for the transformation of Bengaluru’s governance. It should have been much more ambitious and comprehensive and based on a much more systematic, consultative and well-informed process, “said the press release indicating that the bill is like” a glass half full. “
They urged the state government to investigate the big gaps – the lack of provisions for strong metropolitan governance, a full side step in spatial planning and the environment, and the absence of technology in governance – in the bill that needs to be addressed and that could not be beneficial to citizens.
However, highlighting the best aspects of the bill, they mentioned that decentralized governance and the allocation of powers at the zonal and neighborhood levels will pave the way for greater citizen participation in the affairs. In addition, it will also improve the financial governance of the city.
Srikanth Vishwanathan, Executive Director of Jannagraha said: “The positive side of the cloud is the decentralization of powers and functions to zones and districts and citizen participation through district committees and area sabhas. However, we must emphasize to the state government that the major missing pieces, such as metropolitan governance, spatial planning, and financial and human resource capabilities, in addition to digitization, must be addressed soon for significant change on the ground. “
What is BBMP Bill 2020?
The 2020 Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Bill (BBMP Bill) proposed a new form of governance for the city of Bengaluru. First, the bill decentralizes power in zones and neighborhoods. The city will be divided into 15 zones and more into 243 districts. Each zone will have its committee responsible for the execution of development plans. And it will also subsume the gram panchayats, municipalities that were outside the boundaries of the BBMP.
Second, the mayoral term has been increased from 18 to 30 months. Bengaluru will see two mayors who will each get 30 months in office.
An advisory committee will be established and the MLA will chair the committee, but will constitute members of resident welfare associations.
Lastly, the BBMP will also collect taxes on entertainment and collect advertising fees. According to Law Minister Madhuswamy, after GST, BBMP was unable to collect a tax on the advertisement. Instead of a tax, there will be a fee and also, we will allow the BBMP to impose a tax on entertainment, ”he said.
