The government on Thursday submitted to Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala an ordinance on trifurcation of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) amidst protests by opposition parties.
Law Minister T. B. Jayachandra submitted the ordinance to the governor on the government’s behalf and sought his assent. He told reporters that the governor had promised to take a decision “as per the provisions of law”. The ordinance seeks to amend the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act to dissolve the BBMP. It proposes to empower the government to appoint an administrator and constitute three local bodies from the BBMP, which had been constituted in 2007.
Defending the trifurcation plan, Mr. Jayachandra said the State cabinet had taken the decision due to the BBMP’s inefficiency and failure to provide basic infrastructure. He said the financial position of the BBMP is very bad and outstanding bills total Rs. 6,000 crore.
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Legislators and councillors of the BJP marched from the Kempe Gowda statue near the BBMP office to Raj Bhavan and submitted a petition to the governor appealing for rejection of the ordinance. They alleged that the trifurcation was unscientific and was being done in a hurried manner only to put off the civic polls scheduled in May.
Former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda led a protest of JD (S) workers from the party office in Seshadripuram to Freedom Park. In a memorandum submitted to the governor, Mr. Gowda maintained that trifurcation would not help improve the administration or reduce corruption. Instead, it will create problems related to co-ordination.
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