The GBG Bill: A ‘great’ idea or just ‘greater’ trouble?
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024 proposes significantly restructuring Bengaluru’s governance by splitting the city into seven corporations and creating a single, unified authority to oversee the city’s development. The goal is to streamline decision-making and address Bengaluru’s growing challenges, like traffic and infrastructure issues.
But will this really lead to decentralisation? Citizen groups and urban planners argue that the plan gives too much power to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and weakens local representation, considering elections to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike are long pending.
When:
Tabled in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in July last year, the Bill was finally passed on March 10th, 2025. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot returned it for clarification, but gave a nod on April 24.
Why:
As Bengaluru expands, the Bill aims to integrate and restructure governance, empower ward committees, enhance political accountability, and improve citizen welfare through a decentralised and participative system.
Where:
- The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will oversee an expanded area of 1,000 sq. km, up from 709 sq. km. Under the GBA, up to seven city corporations, each with a maximum of 150 wards, will coordinate governance and agencies.
- The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will include 25 peripheral villages to harness revenue and improve infrastructure.
What:
- The GBA will act as a coordinating body between BBMP and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), chaired by the Chief Minister and including key ministers, city mayors, and civic officials.
- The BDA, overseeing planning across 1,219 sq. km, will now focus on assessments and expert inputs within the GBA framework.
- The Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC) will finalise planning proposals, with expanded jurisdiction.
- Ward delimitation will help balance resource distribution and mitigate fiscal disparities.
Each city corporation, governed by a five-year council, should meet these key criteria:
- Population of about 10 lakh people
- Density of 5,000 per sq. km
- Annual revenue of ₹300 crore
- At least 50% non-agricultural employment
Why not:
- Activists call for timely municipal elections to break the BBMP’s 50-month delay.
- They want a Metropolitan Planning Committee under a strong Mayor without government control.
- The BJP and JD(S) find the split costly and inefficient, warning that it could allow non-Kannadigas to become mayors, centralise power, violate the 74th Amendment and create revenue disparities, uneven development and unrest.
Read more: Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill: Where is Brand Bengaluru vision? And the people’s voice?
Will the Gateway of India jetty get jettisoned?
Mumbaikars aren’t pleased with the passenger jetty and terminal project launched by the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and the State government at the Gateway of India in Colaba, Mumbai. Five things you should know about this project:
-About 400 representatives of the Clean Heritage Colaba Residents Association (CHCRA) moved the Bombay High Court against the environmental and heritage hazards posed by the proposed plan. They decried the “excessive” scale of the project, its approval as a ‘standalone jetty’ and the fact that it will “dwarf and visually disrupt” the iconic Gateway structure.
–Others who have joined the cry in the past few weeks include the State assembly speaker and local BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora, South Mumbai Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-UBT), Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi and other politicians. Through letters, meetings, and an online petition, protesters have urged the MMB to shift the project to another site in South Mumbai.
-Activists are outraged that authorities have approved a project that encroaches 600–800 metres into the sea, calling it a serious security risk. The site is already congested, with illegal hawkers and double parking choking the roads. Environmental concerns include the threat of natural disasters, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and the broader impacts of climate change. Drilling or blasting the seabed to install pillars could further harm the fragile marine ecosystem. The location also holds historic and cultural significance, as it is home to the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel.
-The outcry did help in one way — a barge-cum-platform set up for the construction of the jetty has been removed. But Ports Minister Nitesh Rane countered the protestors by upholding Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ ₹229-crore project, explaining that they had all the required permissions. The government has done its groundwork and studied how the project could impact the place. Nearly 20 yachts can be parked at the jetty, besides 150 cars, without inconveniencing anyone, he added.
-The MMB is developing the jetty and terminal near the Radio Club, about 500 metres from the Gateway of India. Builders claim it would reroute boat traffic from the Gateway, reduce congestion and upgrade facilities. The jetty, to be set up in water, will be used for getting on and off boats and is likely to be completed in two years. The terminal building will have more — a 350-person capacity amphitheatre, a berthing jetty, an approach jetty, a fire safety system, and CCTV cameras. Beautification and greening work will also be taken up.
(Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar)