BENGALURU:
Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar, is on the verge of realizing the bureaucratic dream of assembling a team of IAS officers to serve at the helm of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the nation’s largest civic body. Furthermore, BBMP will welcome three highly experienced IAS officers as special commissioners, tasked with overseeing the entire expanse of Bengaluru, rather than confining their responsibilities to a single zone, in addition to the appointment of eight zonal joint commissioners.
In the political arena, Shivakumar is often hailed as a “Master Chief Minister” and is currently in the process of appointing new IAS officers to the role of joint commissioner, with each commissioner taking charge of one of BBMP’s eight zones.
The opportunity to serve as zonal joint commissioners in Bengaluru’s eight zones will be extended to IAS officers who graduated from the 2016 batch onward, as well as those who have held positions as deputy commissioners in various districts.
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These officers will function as proactive “guardian officers” for their respective areas, with initial responsibilities including conducting on-site inspections in neighborhoods, engaging with local residents, involving them in city development endeavors, and ensuring that the concerns of tax-paying citizens are duly addressed.
Rajendra Cholan, an IAS officer from the 2008 batch and the secretary to DK Shivakumar told TBL in a conversation that appointing young officers would prove advantageous, mainly because their service in Bengaluru would motivate them to implement similar development initiatives in other districts where they may have the opportunity to serve.
A proposal has been meticulously prepared and will be presented to Bengaluru Development Minister and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for his final approval.
Notably, instead of the current eight zonal special commissioners, only three to four will be appointed.
BBMP currently comprises eight zones, overseen by eight zonal joint commissioners and eight zonal special commissioners. Presently, special commissioners oversee the work of joint commissioners, and they are also responsible for various aspects such as revenue, Khata, TDR, lakes, town planning, and project works.
According to a highly credible source closely associated with DCM Shivakumar, moving forward, only three IAS officers will shoulder the collective responsibilities, thereby relieving them of the role of zonal special commissioners.
According to a source, Shivakumar was furious when he learned that the BBMP’s special commissioners were not going to the location or doing field inspections. By working over the phone while seated in the “AC” area, they have essentially accepted corporate culture, a source noted.
This visionary concept was initially conceived by retired chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar, who had appointed IAS officers as zonal special commissioners, albeit with limited authority.
What are the specific requirements?
BBMP necessitates the appointment of a special commissioner (Administration) who will oversee day-to-day operations and election-related tasks. Additionally, three other IAS officers will be designated to handle various tasks as the need arises. Intriguingly, these three to four IAS officers will not serve as zonal special commissioners; instead, they will assume the overarching responsibility for overseeing all aspects of Bengaluru City, spanning from development to policy formulation.
At present, Dr. RL Deepak and Jayram Raipura, two IRS officers, are serving at BBMP. They are respectively responsible for Khata, TDR, and overall financial matters related to BBMP’s revenue. Furthermore, they are appointed as special commissioners for BBMP’s West zone and South zone, respectively.
