Redefining urban Bangalore

Redefining urban Bangalore
Deccan Herald

Is the planning for Greater Bangalore (GB) facing a threat of growing redundant even before its implementation?

Is the planning for Greater Bangalore (GB) facing a threat of growing redundant even before its implementation?

If experts are to be believed, 25 years down the line, urban Bangalore will spread its tentacles much beyond the Greater Bangalore area to be redefined as the Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR).

New boundaries

Preparing for the great challenge begins with acknowledging the redefined boundaries of the City - as a merger of Bangalore urban and rural districts and Malur taluk of Kolar district, measuring a total of 8,800 sq km, reminded experts.

“BMR calls for massive funding and better systems of governance. Revision of Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) from time-to-time should come as no big surprise as rapid urbanisation will convert huge tracts of farmlands into urban land, while the risk of unplanned layouts, poor services and disregard for environment and connectivity problems will plague the City, if administrative functions are not pepped up,” warned Mr Ramesh Ramanathan, national technical advisor, JN-NURM, during an in-house interaction with Deccan Herald, here on Thursday.

Tackling the many disparities in basic services, and institutional mechanisms in the urban and peri-urban areas will be a challenge faced by both the Brihat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (or GB) and the BMR.

However, enhanced transparency and accountability in the administrative functions alone will help reap benefits of decentralisation despite the huge geographical area, added experts.

Citizens’ role

“A catalyst in this process would be citizen participation. The Area Sabhas or the cluster of voters of every polling booth will form a democratically elected committee (a step below wards’ committees) to decide the destiny of their City,” explained Mr Ramanathan, adding that a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) headed by the chief minister could set common standards and regulations.

“The BMR will give impetus to financial management, HR and capacity building and building accountability. Developing ward infrastructure index to prioritise projects for funding, limiting the role of parastatal agencies like BDA and BMRDA to providing technical assistance will liberate the development from the clutches of bureaucracy,” hoped Mr Ramanathan.

He added that the existing plan of banking on the existing sources of revenue like property tax for funding the various development projects was simply inadequate.

“BMR demands additional sources like octroi, stamp duty or augmentation of own-source revenue from hoardings, nurseries, parking, building and trade license as the project area would be massive and the gaps huge. The BMP can garner Rs 1,500 crore from the existing core area and we will need upgradation of local bodies to match up to the urban scenario and perhaps focus on capacity building by training apart from adding numbers to the staff strength,” pointed out Mr Ramanathan.