In major reshuffle, Bangalore Metro MD Maheshwar Rao to head BBMP too
Tushar Giri Nath, who was the chief commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), to be appointed Additional Chief Secretary in the Urban Development Department.
4 min read
The reshuffle also comes ahead of the BBMP elections and follows the approval of the Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Bill, 2024, by Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot last week. (File)In a significant reshuffle, the Karnataka Government has appointed 1993-batch IAS officer Maheshwar Rao, who is currently the Managing Director of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), as the new Chief Commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Rao has been given the additional charge until the central government approves a replacement.
Tushar Giri Nath, also a 1993-batch IAS officer, was transferred from the post of BBMP chief commissioner and appointed as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the Urban Development Department (UDD), besides being given additional charge of the Home Department and BBMP Administrator post. The reshuffle is being carried out as Umashankar, ACS, Urban Development Department, is set to retire this week.
The reshuffle also comes ahead of the BBMP elections and follows the approval of the Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Bill, 2024, by Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot last week. The Bill proposes splitting BBMP into multiple smaller corporations under a new Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), with Tushar Giri Nath overseeing the formation of the GBA and its boundaries. The timing also suggests a strategic move to align administrative leadership with the upcoming governance restructuring.
This is the second time Rao is taking over as the chief of BBMP. He had served as the chief commissioner earlier between May 2018 and December 2018. Rao was appointed during the assembly elections in May 2018, replacing N Manjunath Prasad, and served for approximately seven months before B H Anil Kumar took over in August 2019.
The appointments also assume significance in view of BBMP’s Brand Bengaluru initiatives – an ambitious project of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar – which include an underground vehicular tunnel road, elevated corridors, flyovers, underpasses, and Sky Deck project, among others.
‘Tangled web of overlapping roles blurs accountability’
However, many have questioned whether Rao’s leadership could improve Bengaluru’s deteriorating road conditions, especially with the monsoon approaching, indicating high expectations for infrastructure improvements. Abhish on X said, “BMRCL MD Maheshwar Rao wil be taking charge of BBMP Commissioner. Can we expect good roads now? Or else ‘Shame’ old story?? #Bengaluru roads have become worse in most parts of d city & we can expect monsoon arrival by the 1st week of June but #BBMP is not prepared well as usual.”
Urban mobility experts have also raised concerns over the complexity of the bureaucratic reshuffle, given how major infrastructure projects and their planning overlap with different departments. Satya Arikutharam, an urban mobility expert, said, “The latest reshuffle of bureaucrats in Bengaluru raises troubling questions: the BBMP Chief Commissioner is now also the Secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD) (referring to Nath); the BMRCL Managing Director has taken on the additional role of BBMP Chief Commissioner (Rao).”
“Meanwhile, the UDD appointed an Expert Committee—headed by BMRCL’s Executive Director—to review the Tunnel Road DPR originally commissioned by BBMP. The UDD Secretary (Nath), who doubles as BBMP Administrator and sits on the BMRCL Board, will now act on this report,” Arikutharam said.
He added, “The same individual who approved the DPR in one role will now review and decide on it in another. This tangled web of overlapping roles not only blurs accountability—it undermines public trust. It’s not just poor governance; it’s a structural farce. Our bureaucrats spin the web, and our politicians pretend not to see it.”
You May Like
Photos
