Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will continue to push for division of Bengaluru even if the Congress comes to power in the BBMP, said sources in the party. The government will consult urban expert V. Ravichander, who was part of the committee on division of the Palike, and also the legal experts, they said.
The restructuring of BBMP, suggested by the committee, involves passing a separate Act to govern the city. Mr Ravichandar said, “The Act has to be drafted and passed by the legislature. There are the other suggestions on the three-tier structure that will need to be enshrined in the functions and rules.
One also has to see whether the President signs the multi-corporation bill that has gone for his assent. If the President signs the bill, it will allow a multi-corporation setup but will not include the three-tier system with the Greater Bengaluru Authority, suggested by the committee.”
He said, “How the politics plays out is a difficult subject to speculate about. It's possible to do it and the CM is committed to it. It was part of the party’s manifesto for the state elections. We need the political will to do, and it is also what Bengaluru needs!”
There are many who claim that the state government may not be interested in restructuring the city if the Congress comes to power. Urban expert Ashwin Mahesh, who has been strongly advocating restructuring of the city, said, “The Congress might not be interested, but then BJP will want to go for the trifurcation and there will be pressure from their side. But the government has been very clear on its intent to restructure the city. There is no reason why it can’t be done after the results.”
He said, “At the level of performance, there is a lot of gap and we need restructuring as a reform for the city. There has to be a planning body which has the involvement of citizens groups.”
