The joint select committee, which met on Friday to discuss 40 issues, is not considering adding 65 villages to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits. However, increasing the number of wards from 198 to 225 is on the cards.
BJP MLA S. Raghu, who was part of the meeting, clarified that the BBMP limits would not be increased further and there was no proposal either before the State government or select committee to add 65 villages abutting the city.
However, on Thursday, following a Cabinet meeting, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs J.C. Madhuswamy had hinted otherwise. Sources in the ruling BJP had also said there was a proposal to bring in 65 villages, especially those in the Electronics City-Sarjapura stretch, that had already been urbanised.
“While the limits will not be increased, the number of wards will be increased from 198 to 225. Many of the outer areas have seen a lot of growth in population over the past decade. The number of wards in the five outer zones will be increased,” Mr. Raghu said and admitted that the basic civic infrastructure development in these areas has not been commensurate with the growth in population.
He said the committee was also looking to adapt several recommendations of the BBMP Restructuring Committee Report and S. Kasturirangan Committee Report, especially decentralisation of power.
Civic polls
The term of the incumbent BBMP council ends on September 10. Reacting to allegations that the exercise has been taken up now to put off civic polls, Mr. Raghu said the new voters’ list is being prepared and would be ready by the end of November.
“We are also working towards ensuring that the notification on the BBMP Act is issued by then, and elections to the civic body are held by the end of the year,” he said.
