Civic groups oppose current BBMP ward committee list, plan protest

While around 500 citizens submitted their applications to be part of their BBMP ward committee, they were not selected by BBMP, letting corporators nominate their supporters and cronies.

We invite citizens to join us in protesting against destruction of the spirit of democracy and citizen participation as envisaged by the Nagarapalika Act  or 74th Constitutional Amendment (CA).

BBMP was ordered by the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka (HC) during a hearing of a PIL petition on 24th April 2017 to form Ward Committees (WC) in all 198 wards within one month.  When the practice of councillors nominating the ward committee members was challenged in the Court at a subsequent hearing, the HC gave oral orders to BBMP that out of the ten members to be nominated to the ward committee, “two or three names could be selected from the councillors’ recommendations and that applications of citizens should also be considered” to minimise political interference and ensure accountability in the functioning of WCs. 

To ensure that BBMP nodal officers do not get influenced by powerful Corporators while forming the WCs, the BBMP Commissioner asked citizens to submit their applications directly at his office. Based on this assurance, around 500 citizens submitted their applications at BBMP Commissioner’s office. 

 However, when the list of 131 ward committees was submitted by BBMP to the HC, we were shocked to find that none of the 500 names were included. The Commissioner failed to include even one name, despite promising repeatedly to consider the names of the 500 applicants. The whole exercise turned out to be a sham, with the credibility of the BBMP Commissioner’s office in tatters.

We are aghast that none of us, non-political activists and civil society leaders,  were considered qualified enough to become WC members and only spouses, family and friends of corporators, party workers and contractors of BBMP, who are unlikely to demand transparency and accountability from the councillors, made it to the WC lists.

We have hence decided to stage a protest in front of BBMP office on Friday, 7th July 2017, from 10.30 AM to 12.30PM seeking three main demands

1.      Revise the 131 finalized lists to include names of eligible citizen-applicants and also add them into the 67 committees yet to be formed. Simultaneously, remove the names of spouses, family,  friends and party workers to ensure accountability in WCs.

2.      Publish in public domain the selection/rejection criteria adopted for each WC member/applicant by BBMP in forming  the 198 WCs.  

3.      Define a citizen-friendly and democratic selection process for WC membership enabling genuine citizen participation in the true spirit of the 74th CA and use that to form all 198 WCs. 

As this is a struggle that may enable each one of you to participate in the planning, monitoring and social auditing of BBMP’s works in your ward by becoming members of the WCs and change the way Bengaluru is governed, we request you to join us in large numbers and help us reform the most important governing agency of our city.

Comments:

  1. NARASIMHA MURTHY R says:

    Madam,
    It’s regarding Ward no. 106 ward committee list.
    The Councilor includes her husband and Co relatives and friends in the committee.
    Entire committee is illegal. Now what to do madam. Please help us

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Chennai Councillor Talk: Rathika aims to resolve long-standing patta issues in Ward 174

Flooding and sewage overflow are major problems in Chennai's Ward 174. Here is how Councillor Rathika is addressing them.

Like many first-time councillors in Chennai, Ward 174 Councillor M Rathika entered grassroots politics because of the reservation for women in urban local body elections. Ward 174 was one of the wards reserved for women (general) in the 2022 local body polls. Coming from a family with a political background, she had been working on the ground with her brother for years. When the elections were announced, she was given a seat to contest and won by around 5,000 votes. Ward 174 Name of Councillor: M Rathika Party: DMK Age: 44 Educational Qualification: Undergraduate Contact: 9445467174 / 9566165526 Ward 174…

Similar Story

City Buzz: Pollution chokes Delhi, north | Report lauds free bus rides for women

Other news: Successful reduction in road crash fatalities in Punjab, flood mitigation in Chennai and alarming annual rise in cybercrimes.

Delhi air 'severe plus'; North India reels under air pollution Delhi's air quality has been going from bad to worse since Diwali, and the air quality index plummeted to hit 'severe plus' category, at 457 on the evening of November 17th. At 8 am on Monday, November 18th, data from the Central Pollution Control Board pointed to a daily average AQI of 484. After days of hovering at severe levels (AQI of 400-450) it crossed the threshold, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke implementation of Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, across the National…