BBMP to be replaced with Greater Bengaluru Authority, says Siddaramaiah as bill comes into effect

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Bengaluru, May 15 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the Governor Thawarchand Gehlot has given assent to the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, and it will come into effect on Thursday.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be replaced with the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority, said the Chief Minister while speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

The Greater Bengaluru Bill has been passed in both the Houses of the state legislature, he added.

“Bengaluru will be known as Greater Bengaluru now. There is a possibility of forming at least three corporations within the Greater Bengaluru region. The Chief Minister will serve as the chairperson of the authority, and appropriate decisions will be taken in the coming days,” Siddaramaiah said.

The Karnataka Government had officially notified the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) on Tuesday, marking the end of the BBMP as the city’s governing body. The state government has announced that the land coming under the BBMP has been notified as the land which will come under the GBA as per Section 1 (2) of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024.

Until the procedures are done, the concerned officers will carry out powers and responsibilities in the BBMP. The Urban Development department has stated that an administrator would be appointed following the BBMP ceasing to exist. Once the administrator is appointed, the rules and guidelines will be formed.

As per the GBA Act, the Authority under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister will have to be formed within 120 days. The Bengaluru Development Minister will be the Vice President. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is in-charge of the Bengaluru Development portfolio.

The legislators, ministers from Bengaluru, mayors of corporations, Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) Commissioner, Bengaluru Water and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) President, Managing Directors of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) will be members.

The Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District, Bengaluru Police Commissioner and others would also be members.

Sources said that the government wants to create three city corporations with 125 wards each, and boundaries will be identified. As per the act, all the regions coming under the GBA will be called as Bengaluru region.

The Congress government in Karnataka on June 23, 2024, tabled the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, in the Assembly, which proposes to split the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into many city corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Area.

The government maintained that the Bill has been moved with the objective of effective, participatory, and responsive urban governance in the Greater Bengaluru Area. It also proposes to establish a Greater Bengaluru Authority for coordinating and supervising the development of the Greater Bengaluru Area.

“The provisions of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act, 2020 (Act 53 of 2020) are inadequate to govern Bengaluru as they don’t constitute any institutions that can address the fragmentation of governance in Bengaluru due to the multiplicity of civic agencies and lack of coordination between them,” the act states.

The BJP and JD (S) are opposed to the implementation of the act. The BJP has staged a protest and called the move unconstitutional as it contradicts the 74th Constitutional Amendment. A representation was also made to the Governor in this regard.

–IANS

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Patna, Feb 17 (IANS) Union Minister Bhupender Yadav took a sharp dig at the opposition INDIA bloc, stating that it has “gone into a block hole”. Addressing the media in Patna, Yadav expressed confidence that the NDA will form the next government in Bihar with a massive majority.

Responding to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s remark that the BJP would not form a government in Bihar as long as he is there, Bhupender Yadav hit back, saying: “Lalu Prasad is living in Bihar under the BJP government.”

Bhupender Yadav was in Patna to discuss the provisions of the Union Budget for Bihar.

He also held meetings with Bihar Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal on Monday.

With the political arena starting to witness hectic activities in Bihar ahead of the upcoming elections, Bhupender Yadav’s remarks indicate NDA’s strong push to regain dominance in the state.

After a key meeting in Patna, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal highlighted the discussions led by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on the Union Budget 2025-26.

The meeting focused on the vision of a developed India by 2047 and the budget’s impact on Bihar.

“During the meeting, Bhupender Yadav discussed about Mahananda-Mechi River linking project in Seemanchal that will irrigate 50,000 hectares of land. He assured industrialists that they need not worry about policies. He explained how the budget would benefit common people,” Jaiswal said.

Reacting to the US crackdown on illegal Indian immigrants, Jaiswal stated: “Illegal people should be sent back. We also oppose those living illegally here.”

He also emphasised India’s economic self-reliance, saying: “India does not need financial help from anyone; instead, we are ready to help others.”

Jaiswal criticised Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav over their remarks on the Kumbh Mela, stating: “Over 50 crore devotees have taken a holy dip in Sangam, and Lalu Yadav is dismissing it as useless. This is extremely shameful. No leader has ever said anything like this.”

–IANS

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Panel will be set up to make necessary changes in Cooperative Act: Maha CM

Mumbai, May 12 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday announced that a committee will be formed to suggest the necessary changes in the Cooperative Act.

“There is a need to make changes in the current Cooperative Societies Act in line with the times. The work of providing justice to every entity related to the cooperative sector should be done through the Cooperative Act.

“For this, new chapters related to each sector will have to be included in the law. For this, necessary changes will have to be made in the Cooperative Act. A committee is being formed for the necessary changes in the Cooperative Act,” he said in his speech at the symposium on the occasion of International Cooperative Day organised here by the Maharashtra State Cooperative (MSC) Bank.

The CM has responded to the observations made in this regard by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who in his speech on Monday had made a strong recommendation that the state government needs to craft a new law for the cooperative sector in the changing situation.

Stating that cooperative banks have adapted to modern technology and brought about radical changes in the banking sector, CM Fadnavis said, “Cooperative banks have adopted a modern technological banking system along with the core banking system. Cooperative banks are providing all the services useful to the customers. Due to this, cooperative banks have survived during the period of ‘fiscal consolidation’. Cooperative banks have done a great job during this period too. The uprising against moneylenders in Supe in Pune district on May 12, 1875 marked the beginning of the cooperative sector. Today, 150 years have passed since this historical event.”

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a separate Ministry of Cooperatives for the first time at the Centre. Through this ministry, the cooperative movement is being empowered across the country. Cooperatives are being empowered across the country through the Central Government. This is giving a boost to the rural economy.

“With the help of the World Bank, training is being provided to cooperatives in 10,000 villages and their business models are being developed. The World Bank has also expressed satisfaction for this work and this has given a new start to Agri Businesses,” said the chief minister.

He said that the cooperative sugar factories are also producing by-products along with sugar production and this has helped them survive global competition.

“There are complaints that electricity rates are making it difficult for spinning mills operating on a cooperative basis to survive in the global competition. The government also provides subsidies for electricity. Therefore, all spinning mills are being converted to solar energy,” he said, adding that this will solve the biggest problem of electricity for spinning mills.

CM Fadnavis further stated that processing industries should also be helped through the cooperative sector.

“Nearly 50 per cent of the total cooperative societies are cooperative housing societies. By amending the Cooperative Act, a separate chapter has been included for cooperative housing societies in the past. Through this, the system of cooperative housing societies is being established. A new scheme has been brought for cooperative societies for self-redevelopment. The state government is giving them 17 different types of concessions. Due to the strengthening of cooperative housing societies, citizens are getting their rightful homes in Mumbai itself. A committee has also been formed under the chairmanship of MLA Praveen Darekar regarding self-redevelopment of cooperative housing societies,” he added.

He announced that a positive decision would be taken after a study to carry out the state government’s transactions on a large scale through cooperative banks.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asserted that the cooperative sector will play a major role in India’s ambitions of becoming a superpower.

“After the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation at the Centre, there has been a wave of reforms in the cooperative sector in the country. Rural Marts are being set up in rural areas with the help of NABARD. The cooperative movement has gained more strength due to Kisan Credit Card and Micro ATM. This is giving a boost to the rural economy to a large extent. Maharashtra Cooperative Bank is the largest bank in the cooperative sector in the country with a turnover of Rs 62,000 crore,” said Dy CM Shinde.

Dy CM Ajit Pawar said a revolt against moneylenders took place in Supe from Pune district 150 years ago, which was the beginning of the cooperative sector.

“Today, the cooperative movement has come a long way. However, this movement needs to be strengthened to face future crises and challenges,” he added. He suggested that the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank should prepare a report on the history of the cooperative movement so far.

–IANS

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Bengal LoP approaches HC for permission to visit Mothabari hit by communal tension

Kolkata, April 1 (IANS) The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Tuesday approached a single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to visit Mothabari in the Malda district, which had been recently hit by communal tension.

A section of the Hindu population in the area was allegedly attacked by a group of people from another community.

In his petition, Adhikari pleaded that he wished to reach Mothabari along with just one more fellow party legislator and one of his personal bodyguards. The petition has been admitted by the single judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh and the matter is expected to come up for hearing during the current week.

Earlier, on Sunday, the state BJP president in West Bengal and the Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar, tried to reach Mothabari. However, he was stopped far away from the troubled zones.

The LoP now apprehends that he might face the same police resistance unless there is a specific direction from the court in the matter and, hence had approached Justice Ghosh’s bench on Thursday.

In his petition, Adhikari had also claimed that he would just go to the spot, meet the victim families, and not resort to any action like conducting rallies there which might spark fresh tension.

According to the latest statistics provided by the state police, a total of 61 people have been arrested in connection with the communal tension at Mothabari, and a total of 61 cases have been filed. Although the state police had claimed that the situation at Mothabari was currently under control, the LoP had refuted those claims.

According to him, had the situation been under control, the state police would not have prevented the opposition leaders and the media persons from entering the troubled spot.

Adhikari had also written to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose requesting the latter to direct the state government to deploy Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) at Mothabari.

The Malda district magistrate and district police superintendent are scheduled to submit a detailed report on how the communal tension ignited at Mothabari to Calcutta High Court on April 3.

–IANS

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