What is the BBMP and what do they do?

Bangalore has the fourth largest municipal corporation in India and has seen tremendous growth since the city was established. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (first established as Greater Bengaluru Municipal Corporation on 27 March 1862) has been responsible for sustaining and managing Bengaluru’s civic body and infrastructure.

With the upcoming elections of the BBMP, we decided to look into the basics of how the body functions and its roles and responsibilities.

Who heads the BBMP?

A mayor and deputy mayor are elected every year, though not by voting - only a candidate from the Scheduled Caste and Tribes, Other Backwards Caste or an Other Backward Class female from the elected councillors can fill this position.

They head BBMP’s council which consists of 198 corporators from the different wards, MLA’s, MP’s from Bangalore and some nominated members. However, in the absence of an elected body, an Administrator and a Commissioner are appointed by the State Government.

Currently, the BBMP does not have an elected body and hence is run by a Commissioner and Administrator.

How does the BBMP function?

With its ever increasing population of over 7.8 million, the city has been divided into 8 zones (Yelahanka zone, Dasarahalli, Bommanahalli, South, Mahadevapura, East zone, Rajarajeshwarinagar and West zone), to make administration easier. Each zone has a zonal administrator who is answerable to the Commissioner.

BBMP also works with the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development Task Force (ABIDe), Lake Development Authority (LDA) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for various infrastructural projects in the city.

What are the responsibilities of the BBMP?

Under the umbrella of infrastructure and civic responsibilities, the BBMP is responsible for most of the amenities we use on a daily basis from zoning and building regulations to hygiene, health, licensing, education, trade and quality of life which include water bodies, parks and greenery.

Some of the other obligatory functions include cleaning and construction of roads, clearing of sewage and garbage, waste disposal, maintenance of drains, bridges and pavements and tree planting among others.

Why is the BBMP important and why should I vote?

Local elections have the maximum impact and immediate effect on our lives . We complain if the roads are bad or if the lights on the street aren’t working. We are also constantly worried about our safety. To help the city improve and to not worry about the basic amenities we are promised, it is important to vote in our elections. It not only helps us have our voices heard but makes us more aware of the people we need to hold responsible and be more proactive when it comes to helping our city develop.

What can I do as a citizen apart from just voting?

Sri. Vijay Bhaskar, IAS, who is the current Administrator of the BBMP cites the example of Kigali the capital of Rwanda, where the citizens spend a day every month cleaning the streets which has made the city, the cleanest in the world. He hopes that the same can be done in Bangalore- “if citizens don’t litter, it makes the job of the cleaners and garbage collectors much easier.”

He also urges citizens to get in touch with their Residents Welfare Association who will then take their grievances to the respective Ward Committees. He adds, “Active participation and holding your respective wards accountable will help Bangalore improve.”

The BBMP Elections are being held in Bangalore on August 22nd 2015.

To check if you are on the voter’s list go to- http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/hm_ec.aspx

To check the list of candidates go to - http://www.mybengaluru.com/articles/bbmp-candidate-list.aspx

To know more about BBMP visit their page- http://bbmp.gov.in/home

Sources

Inputs from - Sri T M Vijay Bhaskar, IAS, Administrator BBMP

Wikipedia

Citizenmatters

Praja