Karnataka govt sanctions ₹300 crore for newly formed Bengaluru corporations
Bengaluru: The state government has granted ₹300 crore to five newly formed corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Area (GBA) to cover administrative expenses like personnel pay, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar said on Wednesday that the government has also approved the recruitment of 500 engineers to oversee ward-level works. Ward boundaries are expected to be finalised within three months.
Speaking after unveiling the nameboard of the Greater Bengaluru Authority headquarters, Mr. Shivakumar said the foundation stone for the offices of the new corporations would be laid on November 1. “I have instructed officials to fix the boundaries of all corporations by installing signages so that there is no confusion,” he said.
He added that the existing Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which has 198 wards, would be expanded to 500 wards under the GBA. “This restructuring will bring administration closer to citizens. Bengaluru’s population has already crossed 1.4 crore, besides a large floating population. Smaller wards will help improve governance,” Shivakumar said.
He further noted that new areas, including gram panchayat limits, would gradually be brought under the GBA’s jurisdiction.
According to a recent government order, each corporation will be headed by two IAS officers and one KAS officer, supported by two chief engineers and other technical and non-technical staff.
The minister also invited public participation in designing the five new corporation offices. “We are calling for design suggestions from citizens, including architects. The best three to five designs will be selected, with prizes of ₹5 lakh for the winners,” he announced.
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West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee moves SC against SIR
New Delhi (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the state, sources said on Sunday.
The petition names the Election Commission (EC) and the chief electoral officer of West Bengal as respondents. It was filed before the apex court on January 28, the sources said.
Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Sunday. She is scheduled to meet Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at 4 pm on Monday to discuss the ongoing SIR exercise in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo would be accompanied by a delegation of party leaders.
She is also likely to meet party MPs in the Parliament House on Monday.
Talking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for the national capital, Banerjee claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre is resorting to the SIR exercise because it is certain of its imminent defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls, due in a few months, and said the saffron party should contest the election politically and democratically.
The West Bengal chief minister has written several letters to the CEC, raising concerns over the conduct of the exercise.
In her most recent letter to the CEC on January 31, she alleged that the methodology and approach of the exercise went beyond the provisions of the Representation of the People Act and the relevant rules, causing "immense inconvenience and agony" to citizens.
Earlier, TMC leaders, including Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, had moved the apex court, challenging certain aspects of how the SIR is being carried out in West Bengal.
