GREATER AREA, MORE AT STAKE

GREATER AREA, MORE AT STAKE
With the high court setting a deadline to conduct
BBMP elections within the next three months,
there will be some action on the ground
Bangalore: The proposal on the delimitation of the wards is pending approval with the government. From 100, the Greater Bangalore will now comprise 145 wards spread over 709.53 sq km tucked into 27 assembly segments.
The contours of greater Bangalore have been redrawn in tune with the new delimitation of assembly constituencies — the existing 16 have been increased to 28 segments in Bangalore Urban district (only 27 assembly segments come under BBMP limits and excludes Anekal).
The BBMP was notified on January 16, 2007 with the merger of CMCs, TMC and villages, and the government entrusted preparation of the ward delimitation to the then deputy commissioner, Bangalore urban, M A Sadiq. Population as per 2001 census was 58,40,155 and a total number of 349 wards — BMP, CMCs, TMC and 110 villages — had to be integrated to form 145 wards.
The first delimitation proposal was submitted on June 7, 2007 which contained the 145 wards carved out of assembly constituencies, which was compact and with uniform population, not torn between stormwater drains or ring roads.
At the same time, the Delimitation Commission of India finalized new assembly segments in which Bangalore’s constituencies increased from 16 to 28. The government found the proposal did not co-exist with new assemblies. This has resulted in one ward figuring in two to five assembly constituencies.
Sadiq was asked to prepare a fresh proposal in tune with the 28 segments. On October 31, 2007, the second proposal was submitted with 145 wards. This is now before the government for approval.
Accordingly, the biggest ward is 32 sq km — Hemmigepura in Yeshwantpur assembly segment. The smallest ward is 0.44 sq km — Jagajeevanramnagar in Chamrajpet segment.
How Greater Bangalore was formed
In January 2007, Bangalore embraced its “poor cousins’’ and grew big; Seven City Municipal Councils (CMC) and one Town Municipal Council (TMC) along with 110 villages situated under various gram panchayats.
The process was set in motion on November 2, 2005 with the government issuing draft notification on Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) listing out the areas coming under the new entity. Objections/suggestions were invited on the issue and in early January, the final notification was out confirming the formation of the new municipal body. The authorities used GIS maps of 226 sq km of old corporation area with 43.13 lakh population and 500 sq km of CMCs, TMC and 110 villages with 15 lakh population to re-draw the boundary.
The 110 villages to be merged with BBMP have been pulled out from Anekal, Bangalore East, Bangalore South and Bangalore North taluks, which are not situated in the green belt with more than 30% development.
Among the parameters considered for the merger, the government had listed out some important clauses such as population of the area specified for the merger being not less than three lakhs, density of population being not less than 3,000 inhabitants to one sq km of area, revenue generated for local administration from tax and non-tax sources in the year of the last preceding census being not less than Rs 6 crore per annum, percentage of employment in non-agricultural activities being not less than 50% of the total employment.
From among 179 villages in the greenbelt area, 110 were shortlisted.
What Kasturirangan panel recommends
If the government implements the recommendations of the Kasturirangan-headed committee on Greater Bangalore, then there will be a rehaul of the BBMP administration.
The committee which has
suggested reforms in the council pattern has stressed on the need for a direct Mayor with a term of five years.
The committee has called for a new comprehensive legislation that would deal with the development and regulation of the Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR), review the administrative structures and legal framework, set up the much-needed umbrella agency — Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) which includes the 8,000 sq km of area covered by BMRDA, three revenue districts of Bangalore urban, rural and Ramanagaram.
The committee has recommended involvement of experts, urban planners and representatives from industry — eight members from various sectors will be nominated to the proposed MPC. The composition of the MPC should be with 63 members of whom 42 elected from urban and rural local bodies and 21 nominated from manufacturing industry, service industry including IT, trade and commerce, real estate, environmental affairs, education/health, urban planning and legal expertise.
Acid test
The BBMP elections will be the first test of political parties’ standing with urban voters. Polls will be held under the redrawn political map for Greater Bangalore’s 145 wards. Political parties react to the high court’s directive to the government to hold polls within three months:
BBMP elections are long overdue. They were delayed because former CM H D Kumaraswamy wanted to create Greater Bangalore, which took six months, and when the polls were to be held, the power-transfer hurdle postponed it.
S Prakash | CITY BJP
SPOKESPERSON
AREA MAP
Greater Bangalore: 741 sqkm BMP limits extending up to 226 sqkm Merger of seven CMCs — Byatarayanapura, KR Puram, Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli, Yelahanka, Dasarahalli, Rajarajeshwarinagar — 257.97 sqkm Merger of one TMC - Kengeri - spreading over 34 sqkm Bringing together 110 villages in Bangalore urban district with more than 30% development — 223.03 sqkm
NEW NUMBERS
Highest population per ward: 47,000; lowest population/ward: 30,000
Average population:
40,277
Maximum area: 32 sqkm; minimum area: 0.44 sqkm
Average area: 4.90 sqkm
Wards per constituency: 2 to 7
HERCULEAN TASK
Approval of the delimitation proposal by state cabinet Publishing draft notification for the 145 wards calling objections and suggestions, giving 30 days’ time Compiling objections and publishing final notification Parallely, draw up reservation roster; notify the same — draft and final notification Carry out ward-wise electoral roll





My party demanded early BBMP elections during the JD(S)-BJP government, which kept postponing it on some pretext or the other. One reason given was with the formation of Greater Bangalore, the 145 wards had to recarved. Now, the BJP government has come up with proposals such as direct election of the mayor and appointment of the commissioner, which will require amendment to the Karnataka Municipal Act. We want elections to be held as it will be a referandrum on the BJP government’s performance. The elections should help the Congress as the ‘Brand Bangalore’ image which was built during former chief minister S M Krishna’s tenure was lost during the JD(S)-BJP regime.
Prakash K Rathod | KPCC
GENERAL SECRETARY


The JD(S) welcomes the court order, setting a timeline for the government to hold polls. My party may have fared badly in the assembly elections, but this will not deter us. There should be a democratically elected body as BBMP has been without one all these months.
Y S V Datta | STATE JD(S)
SPOKESPERSON