Governor returns Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, cites ‘legal and public interest concerns’

While returning the Bill with a “direction to re-submit along with suitable clarifications”, the governor cited representations from Opposition parties and civic groups opposing the Bill.

Representatives from Bengaluru Town Hall submitted a memorandum to the governor voicing their concerns.

The memorandum said the Bill violated the 74th constitutional amendment, disempowers the State Election Commission, usurps the role of the Metropolitan Planning Committee, weakens citizen participation, and threatens Bengaluru’s culture and demography. It also criticised the Bill for emulating a failed model from other cities.

The Bill proposes to divide the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike into up to seven smaller city corporations, which the government argues is essential for improving infrastructure in the city. However, the governor wrote, “But this experiment has failed in Delhi, and a similar situation may likely arise here too. Therefore, it is advised to take this into consideration.”

The Bill also proposes the establishment of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Authority to supervise the smaller corporations. The governor expressed concern that this could interfere with the powers of elected local bodies enshrined by the 74th amendment.

He said the concerns raised by civic forums and Opposition parties must be addressed, as they involve both “legal and public interest” issues.