Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 12 March 2025 | Current Affairs: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - CLAT PDF Download

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The legislative assembly Monday passed the contentious Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, which seeks to restructure Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) by splitting it into smaller municipal corporations. However, there was stiff resistance from the opposition BJP and JD(S), whose members eventually walked out in protest.
The bill, tabled by deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, suggests dividing BBMP into a maximum of seven city corporations. It also establishes a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for coordination, with the chief minister as its ex-officio chairperson and minister for Bengaluru development as the vice-chairperson. The legislation also extends terms of mayor and deputy mayor to 30 months.
BJP legislators from Bengaluru argued that multiple municipal bodies will create administrative confusion and hinder the city's development. However, while most BJP MLAs opposed the bill, ST Somashekhar who represents Yeshwantpur, broke rank and supported it, further fuelling speculation that he could return to Congress.
Opposition leader R Ashoka criticized the bill, warning that it could ruin the city's unity and identity. "The new legislation would be detrimental to development of the city, as multiple corporations with mayors will create confusion over revenue sharing between wealthier and less prosperous areas. It also violates the 74th Constitutional Amendment, which empowers local bodies," Ashoka said.
He warned that dividing BBMP could lead to Bengaluru becoming a Union territory. "A region can be made a Union territory if a significant number of people speaking other languages reside there. What if one of these new corporations writes to the Union govt demanding such a status?" he asked.
Ashoka urged the govt to reconsider, saying, "Mr Shivakumar, please think. It's easy to divide but difficult to build. Don't betray Bengaluru. Future generations won't forgive us. Only a united Bengaluru can sustain Brand Bengaluru."
Ashoka also raised concerns over the potential marginalisation of Kannada speakers. He reminded the House that the BJP govt had expanded BBMP in 2006 to incorporate Kannada-speaking villages. "Today, you are dividing Bengaluru into multiple corporations. How will Kannada survive in areas like East Bengaluru? We may soon not even have Kannadigas as mayors," he said.
Accusing Congress of concentrating power with the chief minister instead of elected councils, Ashoka said, "The mayor should be supreme, but here, DK Shivakumar and the CM hold all the power." He also questioned the govt's priorities: "If one commissioner cannot manage Bengaluru, how does the chief secretary manage an entire state of over seven crore people? Why is this being done only in Bengaluru and not in Mysuru, Mangaluru, or Belagavi?"
Shivakumar defended the legislation, insisting decentralisation was essential for effective governance. "This bill is not about fragmenting Bengaluru but about making it stronger," he said, adding that the govt was open to incorporating valid amendments. Referring to his earlier remark that even "God cannot fix Bengaluru's roads in three years," Shivakumar reiterated, "I stand by my statement. Effective urban governance is impossible without decentralisation." He said corporations with lower revenues would receive financial assistance from the state govt. "We are not here to divide Bengaluru but to secure it," he said, but his assurance failed to convince the opposition.
The govt will now present the bill in the legislative council before seeking the governor's assent. If approved, it will be enacted into law.
​[Excerpt from TOI "Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill" Dated 12/03/25]

Q1: What is the main objective of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill?
(a) To centralise power in Bengaluru
(b) To enhance urban governance through decentralisation
(c) To merge all civic agencies into one body
(d) To reduce the role of ward committees

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Q2: What is the role of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA)?
(a) To replace the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
(b) To oversee planning and development in the Greater Bengaluru Area
(c) To act as a political advisory body
(d) To regulate election processes in Bengaluru

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Q3: How does the Bill propose to restructure the BBMP?
(a) By dissolving it completely
(b) By merging it with rural administrative units
(c) By dividing it into three to seven smaller corporations
(d) By handing over its control to the state government

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Q4: What financial provision is included in the Bill for new corporations?
(a) They will receive fixed funds from the central government
(b) They will have financial autonomy, especially in property tax collection
(c) They will be entirely dependent on state funding
(d) They will not be allowed to collect any taxes

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Q5: Why does the BJP oppose the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill?
(a) They support a single administrative structure for Bengaluru
(b) They believe it centralises power with the Chief Minister
(c) They argue it reduces property tax collection
(d) They oppose any changes to the BBMP

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