Bengaluru, May 14 (PTI): The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 that allows the creation of up to seven municipal corporations to govern the city will come into effect from May 15, the state government said on Wednesday.

However, all functionaries will continue to have the same powers and duties as conferred under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Act, 2020, until the new law is brought into effect fully.

Until multiple corporations are created, the BBMP will continue to work under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which is expected to be constituted soon, official sources said.

"A notification has been issued by the State Government on May 14 notifying May 15 as appoint date of Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 as per the provisions of Section 1(3) of the same Act. A notification will be issued on May 15 notifying current Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Area as the Greater Bengaluru Areas as per the provisions of Section 1(2) read with Section 3 of the Greater Bengaluru Act, 2024," the Urban Development Department said in a release.

"Further, by exercising the powers conferred under Section 7(5) read with Section 360 of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 the powers and duties conferred under the BBMP Act, 2020 shall continued to be exercised by the respective functionaries until completion of the process under the provisions of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024," it said.

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill that was passed by both houses of the state legislature recently despite opposition from the BJP, proposes restructuring the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) by splitting it into a maximum of seven city corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Area.

It also provides for a constitution of a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for coordination and supervision and 30 months terms for the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor.

The GBA would be headed by the chief minister as the ex-officio chairperson, while the minister in charge of development of Bengaluru would be the ex-officio vice-chairperson. 

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Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.

"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.

A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.

The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.

What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.

Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.

Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.

Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.

Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.

“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.