The committee constituted to finalise the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Bill has recommended, among other things, extending the Mayor’s term to 30 months and increasing the number of wards from the existing 198 to 225.
The BBMP Bill will be tabled in the next Assembly session that will begin on September 21, said S. Raghu, chairperson of the committee constituted to finalise the BBMP Bill.
Speaking to
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Apart from increasing the number of wards, he said the committee had deliberated on more than 50 different issues pertaining to the BBMP Bill. For instance, the committee was deliberating on appointment of members to the ward committees. Some members suggested that members should be decided by the Commissioner, who will also issue guidelines for the same. “Hitherto, the councillors, who were the chairpersons of the ward committees, had the say in this,” Mr. Raghu said.
He also said that the committee had decided to extend the Mayor’s term to 30 months from the current 12 months. Several reports have batted for an extension of the Mayor’s term to five years. “The committee considered having three mayors, each with a term of 20 months. Finally, it was decided to extend the term to 30 months and have two mayors in the five-year term,” he said.
With regard to increasing the number of zones, the BJP MLA said if IAS officers of the principal secretary level were to be made in-charge of zones, then the number of zones may be brought down to five from the current eight. However, if senior KAS officials are to be made in-charge, the number of zones may be increased to around 10.
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“The committee will meet again on Tuesday to discuss the remaining issues, before finalising the Bill,” he added.