Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

History

The history of municipal governance of Bangalore dates back to 27 March 1862, when nine leading citizens of the city formed a Municipal Board under the Improvement of Towns Act of 1850. Later, a similar Municipal Board was also formed in the Cantonment area of the city. The two boards were legalised in 1881, and functioned as two independent bodies called the Bangalore City Municipality and the Bangalore Civil and Military Station Municipality. The following year, the concept of elected representatives come into being and also saw the introduction of property tax.

After Indian independence, the two Municipal Boards were merged to form the Corporation of the City of Bangalore in 1949, under the Bangalore City Corporation Act. The corporation then consisted of 70 elected representatives and 50 electoral divisions. The name of the council then changed — first to Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) and then to Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP).

In January 2007, the Karnataka Government issued a notification to merge 100 wards of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike with seven City Municipal Councils (CMC)s, one Town Municipal Council (TMC) and 111 villages around the city to form a single administrative area. The process was completed by April 2007 and the body was renamed 'Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike'.

Structure

A mayor and deputy mayor of the council are also elected for a period of 1-year, though not by popular vote. The post of the mayor and deputy mayor are filled through a quota system to a Scheduled Castes and Tribes candidate or to an Other Backward Class female candidate from among the elected Councillors [1]. However, in the absence of an elected body, the BBMP is at present run by an Administrator and a Commissioner, who are appointed by the State Government. The current Administrator is Mr. T.N Vijayabhaskhar and the current Commissioner is Mr. G. Kumar Naik, both senior and respected IAS officers. The Additional Commissioner is a specially appointed IRS officer. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is responsible for civic and infrastructural requirements of the city. It often works in conjunction with other civic bodies such as the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastracture Development Task Force (ABIDe) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to design and implement civic and infrastructural projects.

The obligatory and optional functions of ULB are listed below. The 12th Schedule of the Constitution of India (Article 243 W), inserted by the constitution 74th Amendment Act of 1992, provides a list of 18 functions as belonging to the legitimate domain of Urban Local Bodies [19].

1. Urban Planning including town planning
2. Regulation of land use and construction of buildings+
3. Planning for economic and social development
4. Roads and bridges+
5. Water Supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes+
6. Public health, sanitation, conservancy and Solid Waste Management+
7. Fire services+
8. Urban forestry, protection of the environment and promotion of ecological aspects+
9. Safeguarding the interests of weaker sections of society, including the handicapped and the mentally retarded
10. Slum improvement and upgradation
11. Urban Poverty Alleviation
12. Provision of urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens and play grounds+
13. Promotion of cultural, educational and aesthetic aspects+
14. Burials and burial grounds, cremations, cremation ghats/grounds, and electric crematoria
15. Cattle pounds, prevention of cruelty to animals
16. Vital statistics including registration of birth and deaths+
17. Public amenities including street lighting, parking lots, bus stops and public conveniences+
18. Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries.

It is also the responsibility of the ULB to co-ordinate between the different service delivery institutions. {created 2009.10}

Elections were held in Mar–April 2010 after a period of Commissioner's rule for the BBMP corporators and a Mayor S. K. Nataraj was chosen.

Fresh elections were held in August 2015.

Zones

BBMP is divided into ten zones, for the ease of administration each administered by a Zonal Commissioner:

1. Yelahanka Zone
2. Dasarahalli Zone
3. Govindarajanagar Zone
4. Padmanabhanagar Zone
5. Jayanagar Zone
6. Bommanahalli Zone
7. Mahadevapura Zone
8. Krishnarajapura Zone
9. Malleshwara Zone
10. Rajajinagar Zone

Every zone has a Joint Commissioner, who is answerable to the BBMP commissioner. The decentralisation hasn't been very effective in addressing the problems in administration. The end of 2013 saw discussions in various circles about dividing BBMP into more parts.

Roles and responsibilities

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is the fourth largest Municipal Corporation in India, after the city corporations that administer Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. The BBMP is responsible for infrastructural assets of the Greater Bangalore Metropolitan area, spread across 741 km², with a population of 6.8 million.

Its roles and responsibilities include the "orderly development of the city" — zoning and building regulations, health, hygiene, licensing, trade and education, as well as quality of life issues such as lung spaces, water bodies, parks and greenery.

Criticism

The BBMP came under criticism in 2005 from Information Technology companies for failing to effectively address the crumbling road and traffic infrastructure of the city.

In July 2005, the Karnataka High Court castigated the BBMP for failing to maintain roads in good condition.