CMCs merger move draws cheers, flak

CMCs merger move draws cheers, flak
SEVEN CMCs
Can Corporation rise to the challenge?
VIjay Times

Bangalore: The State cabinet s decision on Friday to merge the seven City Municipal Councils (CMCs) and one T own Municipal Council ( TMC) around the City with the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) evoked a mixed response from officials and members of the public spoken to by Vijay Times.

Pointing out that the BCC was struggling to maintain the infrastructure in the 100 wards presently in its limits, a senior BCC official said: "Following the 1975 order to join 75 sq km to the BCC limits, it has been a big burden on the civic body to improve these areas. If the government thinks that the BCC has the inherent capacity to handle these areas around the City , we will take it up. If proper administration was in place, these CMC areas could have been developed well, better than areas in the BCC limits." B D A C o m m i s sioner MN V i d y a s h ankar: The g o v e r n ment s decision will help immensely in the development of CMC areas.

Improving 100 wards under the BCC s limits cannot be called development. Development, in the true sense, is required in the peripheral areas, which are ill-equipped and poorly regulated.

Shivabasappa, a resident of Bhadrappa Layout: A very good decision. With this merger, CMCs will get a helping hand, more muscle power.

Swati Ramanathan, founder of Janaagraha: While decentralisation is touted as the mantra for providing better administration and improvement, the City seems to be going in reverse gear. Already , each CMC has over 30 wards. This would mean bringing around 350 civic representatives under a single umbrella.

A CMC commissioner: If the government becomes liberal in releasing funds to the seven CMCs and one TMC on the lines of the BCC, we can provide the basic amenities without any hiccups. It ( the merger) is going to create confusion in terms of the boundary .

Bommanahalli
Byatarayanapura
K R Puram
Mahadevapura
Rajarajeshwari
Dasarahalli
Y elahanka
Kengeri - TMC