Curation Team
BENGALURU: A roadmap for the development of Greater Bengaluru is nearing completion and will be placed before the cabinet in its next meeting, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said Monday.
“We are in the process of finalising it (development of Greater Bengaluru),” Shivakumar told reporters, signalling a major push in the govt’s urban governance overhaul.
The move follows chief minister Siddaramaiah’s May announcement that Greater Bengaluru Governance Act will be implemented and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be replaced with Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) — a new administrative body. On May 25, Shivakumar had also declared that BBMP’s re-division process would be completed by Sept 15, paving the way for the formation of GBA.
To prepare, Shivakumar and GBA officials had gone on a study tour to Delhi in June. The team met with officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to discuss urban planning strategies, waste management systems, and construction by-laws.
“Delhi is a very historic, big and planned city,” Shivakumar said. “The population is double that of Bengaluru. There are three challenges in Delhi: Town planning, waste management, and the construction by-laws. Though I visited Hyderabad and Chennai as well, it was very important to know about new policies in Delhi.”
He stressed the importance of long-term vision and planning for Bengaluru’s future. “If a city is not planned, it cannot work… I had brief meetings, and they gave a presentation on new laws and their plans for the next 25-30 years,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar said he will travel to New Delhi Tuesday to secure central clearance for forest land acquisition for the Yettinahole drinking water project. The govt is yet to acquire 428 acres of forest land in Hassan and Tumkuru districts. Shivakumar will meet Jal Shakti minister CR Patil and Union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav and discuss the issue with them. Shivakuamar insisted his visit has nothing to do with politics, but he did not rule out meeting Congress brass. “Party office is like a temple for us. I make it a point to visit,” he said.
