K'taka: Greater Bengaluru Authority comes into force; ward delimitation by Nov 1

Bengaluru, Sep 2 (IANS) Amid the opposition by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress-led government in Karnataka has announced the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) coming into effect from Tuesday.

The ward delimitation process of five new municipal corporations in Bengaluru city will be completed by November 1 and reservation notification will be issued by November 30.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, made the announcement in this regard.

"To ensure citizen-friendly services, good governance, and effective implementation of schemes in Bengaluru, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has been formed, bringing into existence five new municipal corporations," he said.

"September 2, 2025, is a historic day for Bengaluru. From today, five new municipal corporations are officially in place: Bengaluru Central City Corporation, Bengaluru North City Corporation, Bengaluru South City Corporation, Bengaluru East City Corporation, and Bengaluru West City Corporation. The law mandates that these corporations must carry Bengaluru's name. On August 26, 2025, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, the Greater Bengaluru Administrative Authority Committee was constituted, with 75 members appointed," Shivakumar added.

"The Supreme Court has accepted our affidavit. Final ward delimitation will be notified on November 1, and reservation notification will be issued on November 30. Elections will follow. The State Election Commission is preparing voters' lists," he said.

"Officials have been appointed for each jurisdiction. Every corporation will have a Commissioner as administrative head, assisted by additional commissioners, joint commissioners, Karnataka Administrative Service officers, and a chief engineer. The earlier 27 zones have been increased to 50, and 75 sub-zones to 150. Each corporation can have up to 150 wards, with an average of 100 wards per corporation, creating around 500 new local leaders across Bengaluru. Representation will be 50:50 for men and women," Shivakumar added.

"From tomorrow, taxes collected within each corporation will go directly to that corporation. Neither the GBA nor the state government will take this money. This does not violate the 74th Amendment of the Constitution. The corporations are autonomous," he said.

"The GBA will focus on implementing mega projects, ensuring good governance, and providing essential services. Government funds will flow both to the GBA and the corporations. Elections will be held in due course within the legal framework. The city's population is now estimated at 1.44 crore. While in 2011, each ward represented around 20,000 people, wards will now be created with an average population of 35,000 to 40,000," he added.

"In future, areas will be added to East, West, North, and South Corporations, but we are not discussing this now to avoid legal hurdles. For now, we have created five corporations within the existing municipal boundaries under the GBA. I thank everyone who supported this initiative. One ward in Anekal was left out earlier, and we have now corrected it," the Deputy Chief Minister said.

"This is a historic day for Bengaluru. In line with Rajiv Gandhi's vision of decentralisation through the 74th Constitutional Amendment, the Greater Bengaluru Authority has been created. The 74th Amendment came into effect in Karnataka on June 1, 1993. On January 16, 2007, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was formed with 198 wards. On September 22, 2024, a committee under B.S. Patil studied administrative reforms for Bengaluru, collecting thousands of public opinions and submitting nine reports. In 2015, it was decided to create three corporations, but that proposal was withdrawn on July 26, 2019," he added.

Shivakumar said: "After our (Congress) government came to power, we resolved to create the GBA, and on September 2, 2025, it has been implemented. The Patil Committee, formed on July 18, 2023, submitted its report on July 12, 2024, after which a draft notification was issued. On July 25, 2024, the matter was presented in the Assembly. Based on Opposition's suggestions, a Joint House Committee of 15 members led by MLA Rizwan Arshad, including members from Congress, BJP, and JD-S was formed."

"After more than 15 meetings, amendments were passed in the Assembly on March 10, 2025, and in the Council on March 12, 2025, then sent to the Governor, who gave assent on April 23, 2025. The notification brought the GBA into effect from May 15, 2025. On July 19, 2025, we announced five corporations and sought public feedback for 30 days. After addressing 55 objections, ward boundaries were finalised and approved by the Governor," he added.

On November 1, foundation stones will be laid for new municipal buildings.

"All five must be built in a uniform design. We are inviting architectural suggestions, with a Rs 5 lakh prize for the best design. Suggestions for the GBA logo are also invited," he said.

Asked if this was politically motivated, Shivakumar added, "This is my personal satisfaction. I am serving people and creating history. I did not do this for politics. Rajiv Gandhi wanted leaders to rise from panchayats to Parliament. Even today, around 10 Bengaluru MLAs have been municipal members earlier."

--IANS

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