BBMP restructuring bill sails through legislature
Key administrative changes: Standing committees down from 12 to 8, zones up from 8 to 15
BENGALURU:
Just a day after the joint legislative committee submitted its report on the contentious Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike 2020, the bill was unanimously passed in the Karnataka legislative assembly on Thursday. The bill’s passage was a cakewalk as the opposition Congress had boycotted the Assemby proceedings in protest against the passage of the anti-cow slaughter bill. Later in the day, it was also cleared by the state legislative council.
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As expected without any hurdles, the BBMP act (bill) has been passed in the legislative Assembly
Officially: now BBMP has 243 wards
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The development brings the state government one step closer to its objective of postponing the civic elections – already overdue by 3 months – till the revised delimitation of wards under the new bill is carried out. That, however, depends on the decision of the Supreme Court, should the government appeal against the recent order of the Karnataka High Court for early elections to BBMP’s existing 198 wards. The High Court had, as part of its December 4 order, said that the proposed BBMP Act, tabled in the assembly on October 3, was violative of Article 242 (A) of the Constitution since the term of the BBMP council had already ended on September 10.
Standing Committees
Among the key points of the 110-page BBMP Bill 2020, a copy of which was accessed by theBengaluruLive, the Chief Commissioner will be not below the rank of Principal Secretary. There will be 8 standing committees — taxation and finance, and appeals; public health, solid waste and disaster management; establishment and administrative reforms; markets; education and social justice; public works, town planning and infrastructure; horticulture; audit and accounts. Each standing committee shall consist of 15 councillors elected by the council. A councilor will cease to be a member of a committee if he/she is absent for 3 consecutive meetings without the permission of the committee.
Zones go up to 15
The bill increases the number of zones in the city from the current eight to a maximum of 15, with each of them having a zonal committees headed by the Zonal Commissioner,
Ward committees
Under the bill, the ward committee will have the corporator concerned as chairperson and 10 other members nominated by the Corporation, including at least two members belonging to the SCs and STs, at least three women members and at least two members representing resident’s associations. The term of office of the ward committees shall be co-terminus with that of the Corporation.
The ward committee shall meet at least once a month and submit a ward development scheme to the Corporation for allotment of funds. It will also prepare and submit an annual ward development plan, drawn up in accordance with the plans prepared by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee and the Corporation.
Advt fee, entertainment tax
The new bill allows for BBMP to collect fees on advertisements (as tax cannot be collected after GST is paid), and the Commissioner may farm out the collection of any fee on advertisements for any period not exceeding one year. Further, entertainment tax shall be levied and collected by the corporation over any ticket-based entertainment, non-ticket based entertainment and televised entertainment, and the rate of such tax shall be determined by the Corporation by way of a resolution.
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