A bold reform for urban governance in B'luru

In May, Bengaluru launched a bold experiment in urban governance by creating the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA)-a powerful new body to consolidate the city's fragmented civic framework into a cohesive system. It marks a first-of-its-kind attempt in the country to fundamentally re-engineer metropolitan governance, moving beyond traditional models that have long struggled with fragmented responsibilities and poor coordination.

- Manoj Sharma

The GBA was established through the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, passed by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in March, effective from May 15. As part of this sweeping overhaul, the city's existing civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), to be replaced by smaller municipal corporations. Each will have its own elected council but will function under the overarching GBA-a chief minister-led authority, with the Minister for Bengaluru Development as deputy chairperson, tasked with coordinating and driving major development projects across the Greater Bengaluru Area.

Key parastatal agencies-including the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Corporation, and the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited will now operate under the GBA's strategic command.

Experts say the GBA's structure places significant control in the hands of the state government. The body also includes elected representatives, key state ministers handling home, transport, urban development, and energy, and the mayors of the newly created municipal corporations.

While the GBA promises decentralisation through smaller municipal corporations, experts warn it could also lead to excessive centralisation. With the chief minister at the helm and municipal commissioners reporting to the GBA's chief commissioner, the principal executive officer of the body, the model, they say, risks sidelining elected mayors and undermining the spirit of decentralisation enshrined in the 74th Constitutional Amendment.