Siddarth Sethia
*Consultation Meeting with Commissioners and Senior Officials of the 5 New City Corporations for Swift Citizen Response.
Bengaluru:Additional Chief Secretary,Urban Development Department, Tushar Girinath directed officials to prioritize the resolution of three key civic issues— potholes,street lighting,and waste management—as part of an overall briefing on the functioning of the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
Speaking at the first coordination meeting with officials from the 5 new City Corporations under the GBA limits, held today at the IPP Centre in Malleswaram,he emphasized that the GBA was established to ensure better governance and effective implementation of projects across Bengaluru.He assured all newly appointed officials of full cooperation and necessary support.
He urged the officials to understand the local issues of their respective corporations and address them within set timelines.
Resolving common issues like filling potholes, installing and maintaining streetlights,and managing waste effectively would address a majority of citizen concerns.
He further stressed the importance of being responsive to the needs of the public.
*Coordination on Solid Waste Management:
To tackle waste issues,the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited will work in close coordination with the five City Corporations.
Highlighting Bengaluru’s importance,he called upon all stakeholders to work together to enhance the city’s image and functionality.
*Tree Maintenance and Safety:
He instructed that dangerous or dried trees, and overgrown branches obstructing electric poles and lights, should be cleared promptly.
Security personnel such as Home Guards should be deployed at lakes and parks.Visible improvements must be made to reflect the administrative changes introduced through the GBA.
*Phased Resolution of Issues Through Coordination:
He directed that the GBA and all five City Corporations must work in coordination to address issues in a phased manner.
This includes upgrading traffic junctions and improving pedestrian infrastructure beyond expectations.
*Monsoon Preparedness:
With forecasts of rain in the city,he instructed all corporations to implement precautionary measures.This includes cleaning stormwater grates to prevent waterlogging,maintaining cleanliness in stormwater drains, and preparing disaster response plans.
*Revenue Targets and Virtual Reviews:
Chief Commissioner of GBA,Maheshwar Rao,stated that to streamline property tax collection and issue e-Khatas (digital property ownership documents),Commissioners should actively participate in daily virtual meetings chaired by the Special Commissioner (Revenue).
*Office Inaugurations on November 1, 2025:
Necessary preparations must be made for the inauguration of the City Corporation offices on November 1,2025.
Suitable locations have been identified for each corporation.Planning,major stormwater drain management,and World Bank project works have already been assigned to the respective corporations, with a directive to complete them within set deadlines.
*Micro-Planning and Road Quality Improvement:
All corporations were instructed to promptly fill potholes and improve road quality.Micro-level planning must be implemented for mass cleanliness drives, waste removal, and elimination of waste black spots along roadsides.
*Installation of Name Boards:
The government has officially demarcated the boundaries of the five new City Corporations.However, there remains public confusion about which corporation a specific area belongs to.Name boards indicating corporation boundaries must be installed immediately for public clarity.
*Revenue Update from Special Commissioner Munish Moudgil:
Special Commissioner (Revenue),Munish Moudgil, stated that for the current fiscal year,the GBA has set a target of Rs.6,700 crore in property tax collection,of which Rs.3,217 crore has been collected so far,leaving Rs.3,483 crore yet to be collected.
Approximately 2.75 lakh property owners owe Rs.786 crore,and electronic demand notices have been issued to them.He instructed all City Corporations to intensify efforts to collect dues from high-default properties.
There are 25 lakh properties in the city, and draft e-Khatas are available online for all.So far,7.5 lakh final e-Khatas have been issued.
*Website and QR Code to Identify Your Corporation:
To help Bengaluru residents identify their respective new City Corporations, a dedicated website has been launched:
https://BBMP.gov.in/KnowYourNewCorporation.
Residents can also scan the attached QR code and input their ward name or number to find out which corporation they belong to.
*Presentation and Departmental Briefings:
A comprehensive presentation was made covering various departments under the GBA,including revenue, advertising,property, health,animal husbandry,welfare programs,education,grant allocations,infrastructure, lakes,parks,forests,and urban planning.
Present at the meeting were Special Commissioners Munish Moudgil,Dr.K Harish Kumar,Suralakar Vikas Kishor,Preeti Gehlot,BSWML CEO,Kareegowda,City Corporation Commissioners,Ramesh D.S,K.N.Ramesh Pommala ,Sunil Kumar, Rajendra K.V.,Additional Commissioner (Development) Latha,Digvijay Bodke, Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar, and others.
