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Being the economical motor of Karnataka and known arsenic the Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru is astatine the centre of affairs successful the State. With mega infrastructure projects worthy thousands of crores underway and unmatched exposure, adjacent astatine the planetary level, the Bengaluru Development Ministry successful the Karnataka Cabinet has turned into 1 of the astir coveted portfolios successful the State.
Expectedly, it has go contentious and is astatine the centre of governmental bickerings arsenic the caller furniture is formed nether Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar.
None happy
This clip around, Mr. Shivakumar, who earlier held complaint of Bengaluru Development arsenic the Deputy Chief Minister, elder Bengaluru Congress person Ramalinga Reddy, and Krishna Byre Gowda, a comparatively younger curate known for his technocratic approach, person been wrangling for the portfolio and nary look to beryllium blessed with the situation.
While Mr. Reddy resigned arsenic a curate implicit not getting Bengaluru Development Ministry, and aboriginal fell successful enactment accepting the Water Resources portfolio, Mr. Shivakumar is learnt to person been keen connected retaining it himself, but was nudged by the enactment precocious bid to springiness to Mr. Byre Gowda. During the Ramalinga Reddy fiasco, helium adjacent said that the allocation of Bengaluru Development portfolio to Mr. Byre Gowda was the precocious command’s call.
Mr. Shivakumar seems to person extracted immoderate solace by not allotting Mr. Byre Gowda Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), 2 cardinal readying authorities driving key infrastructure projects similar Peripheral Ring Road, Hebbal abbreviated passageway and Bidadi township.
For 2 weeks, Mr. Byre Gowda did not instrumentality complaint of the portfolio arguing helium was awaiting clarity connected the responsibilities. He was averse to taking complaint without BDA and BMRDA, arsenic it would portion up work and accountability for the city’s governance and adversely interaction his effectiveness arsenic a minister. However, helium yet took complaint connected June 16, with BDA and BMRDA being retained by the Chief Minister.
A dedicated law, an empowered minister
Post the Information Technology (IT) roar successful the 1990s, Bengaluru changeable to planetary fame, but besides became notorious for its postulation congestion, inadequate infrastructure and governance gap, particularly successful the precocious 2000s. Out of this frustration, emerged demands for a dedicated instrumentality for Bengaluru’s governance arsenic it was felt the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, was inadequate for the unsocial challenges of a metropolis similar Bengaluru.
In the Government of Karnataka, determination is lone Urban Development Department. Despite being a abstracted ministry and a dedicated curate being appointed, Bengaluru Development stay nether the UDD.
The signifier of appointing a Bengaluru Development Minister started successful the 1990s, erstwhile Bengaluru changeable to planetary fame with theIT roar and Karnataka authorities became conscious of projecting Bengaluru arsenic a planetary concern destination. Ananth Nag and V. Somanna held complaint of the metropolis during this period.
However, it was discontinued successful aboriginal years. Even erstwhile Bengaluru became a large absorption of the authorities nether S.M. Krishna, the metropolis did not person a dedicated minister. Mr. Shivakumar held complaint of the metropolis arsenic Urban Development Minister.
The signifier was revived midway done Siddaramaiah’s archetypal tenure successful 2015 erstwhile K. J. George became Bengaluru Development Minister. Except for 2 years nether B. S. Yediyurappa from 2019 to 2021, the metropolis has had a dedicated Bengaluru Development Minister from 2015. While nether Basavaraj Bommai (2021-23), the main curate held the complaint of the city, G. Parameshwara and Mr. Shivakumar held complaint arsenic Bengaluru Development Ministers arsenic Deputy Chief Ministers during this period.
During the aforesaid clip (2015-18), the past Congress authorities tried restructuring Bengaluru’s governance into aggregate corporations, reversing the earlier enlargement of expanding Bengaluru’s civic assemblage successful 2007. However, this betterment did not walk done then. Eventually, the BJP authorities passed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act, 2020, which was besides repealed and the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 was passed.
Bengaluru Development not a unsocial case
Bengaluru Development is not the lone ministry carved retired of its genitor section of Urban Development Department. Larger ministries person routinely been divided for either administrative convenience oregon to accommodate much ministerial aspirants.
For instance, the State has had 3 ministers handling Education — breached up into Primary Education, Higher Education and Medical Education. Agriculture and allied services person besides been divided into Agriculture, Horticulture and Agriculture Marketing. Even Sericulture and Sugar person abstracted ministers.
Likewise, the Water Resources ministry has been divided into Major and Medium Irrigation and Minor Irrigation, Industries Ministry into Large and Medium Scale Industries, Small Scale Industries and Information Technology and Biotechnology. Recently, the Social Welfare Ministry has besides been divided up arsenic SC Welfare, ST Welfare and OBC Welfare, with 3 ministers from these respective communities holding charge.
Slicing up of Bengaluru Development itself
But what has happened present is splitting up the Bengaluru Development portfolio itself. The Chief Minister holding backmost complaint of BDA and BMRDA, portion giving complaint of lone Greater Bengaluru Authority, 5 metropolis corporations, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) to Mr. Byre Gowda, has not gone down good with galore successful the city.
For instance, Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya launched a societal media run connected June 15 demanding “a afloat empowered Bengaluru Development Minister”. “The ongoing turf warfare wrong the State Government has near the metropolis without wide accountability astatine a clip erstwhile Bengaluru faces mounting infrastructure and civic challenges,” helium said.
Arguing that it was not astir who volition beryllium the Bengaluru Development Minister and that it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister, helium said, “Bengaluru needs an empowered curate whom citizens tin clasp accountable. Splitting responsibilities betwixt the Chief Minister and the Bengaluru Minister creates disorder and governance paralysis”.
GBA’s intent defeated?
GBA was hailed arsenic a progressive measurement for the precise information that, for the archetypal time, it brought each parastatals moving successful the metropolis connected 1 platform. Till then, these parastatals were moving nether assorted ministries, lacked coordination and were often astatine transverse purposes.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, portion placing the Chief Minister arsenic the Chairperson of the GBA, makes Bengaluru Development Minister its co-chair. In fact, this is the archetypal clip the Bengaluru Development Minister is recognised arsenic portion of a law. The Minister heads an enforcement committee which volition assistance GBA successful its day-to-day administration.
However, with BDA and BMRDA nether the Chief Minister, the question arises if the intent of the GBA is itself compromised.
BBMP out, GBA in: New epoch of municipality governance successful Bengaluru
For the metropolis of Bengaluru, it’s retired with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and successful with the Greater Bengaluru Authority With the passing of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, the superior metropolis of Karnataka has welcomed a caller operation of governance which hopes to usher successful greater coordination betwixt aggregate corporations and parastatals. | Video Credit: The Hindu
