Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ( _kn. ಬೃಹತ್ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮಹಾನಗರ ಪಾಲಿಕೆ) "(Translation: Greater Bangalore Municipal Body)", is the new administrative body responsible for the civic and infrastructural assets of the city of Bangalore, India. It was formed in 2007 by merging 100 wards of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, along with 7 City Municipal Councils(CMC) (Rajarajeshwari, Dasarahalli, Bommanahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Mahadevapura, Byatarayanapura and Yelahanka), one Town Municipal Council (Kengeri) and 111 villages around Bangalore.

The BBMP represents the third level of government, (the Central government and State Government being the first two levels). Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is run by a city council. The city council comprises elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every 5 years, with results being decided by popular vote. Members contesting elections to council represent one of more of the state's political parties.However, elections to the newly-created body are yet to be held, due to delays in delimitation of wards and finalising voter lists. There are expected to be about 150 wards, up from the 100 wards of the old Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. Elections are tentatively scheduled to be held in early 2008.

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 [http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov302004/i2.asp] .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. Dilip Rau and the current Commissioner is Dr. S. Subramanya, both senior IAS officers. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is responsible for civic and infrastructural requirements of the city. It often works in conjunction with other civic bodies such as the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to design and implement civic and infrastructural projects.

History

The history of municipal governance of Bangalore dates back to March 27 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 legalized 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 the areas under existing Bangalore Mahanagara Palike with seven City municipal council(CMC)'s, one Town municipal council(TMC) and 111 villages around the city to form a single administrative body, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. [cite news | title= Notification at BMP website | date=2007-01-16 | url=http://www.bmponline.org/account-dept/Greater%20Bangalore%20Notification.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-17] The process was completed by April 2007 and the body was renamed 'Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike'.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Bruhat Bengaluru 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.

BMP (Bangalore Mahanagara Palike) has killed over 25 lakh (2,5 million) stray dogs from 1939 to 1999 in the name of population management and rabies-eradication.

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. It must be noted, however, that these IT companies do not pay property taxes, depriving the BBMP of much needed revenue for all the improvements and maintenance that is needed for road and traffic infrastructure.In July 2005, the Karnataka High Court castigated the BBMP for failing to maintain roads in good condition.

See also

* Bangalore
* Municipal Corporation
* Karnataka

References

http://www.newindpress.com/

External links

* [http://www.bmponline.org/ Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike]
* [http://www.bmponline.org/right2info/r2ienglish.pdf List of BBMP Commissioners]
* [http://local.currentsamachar.com/bangalore.php Latest news headlines from Bangalore Mahanagara Palike]
* [http://www.bmponline.org/account-dept/Greater_Notification1.PDF Government Notification on formation of Bangalore]
* [http://www.bmponline.org/images/GB%20Prelim%20Notif%20Map.jpgMap of the area under Greater Bangalore]