Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here defended the government’s move to hold special session of legislature on April 20 to amend the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act to facilitate trifurcation of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. As the Governor had returned the ordinance on trifurcation of BBMP, it became imperative to hold the special session, he added.
Mr. Siddaramaiah told presspersons at Suttur, 20km from here, that Bengaluru was only 226 sqkm in 2007 but now it is spread across 800 sqkm with over a crore people living in the city. This has necessitated the division of the civic body, he said. Responding to the remarks of the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on the issue, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that Congress has never been afraid of elections. Bifurcating the BBMP was one among the many promises that the Congress made in its election manifesto, and that it was just fulfilling it, he said, adding that as the Congress has a majority in the legislature, it will take all steps that would do good to society. On the drinking water scarcity in 10 districts of the State, the Chief Minister said that the officials concerned had been instructed to use the grants provided to address the issue.