Even if split, BBMP to have single revenue account, apex body to redistribute to corporations in Bengaluru

But councillors fear that the corporations that collect more property tax will become richer while the rest will become poorer. This will hamper developmental activities, they claim. 

While councillors are expressing apprehensions about disparity in revenue generation if the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is split, sources in the government say that there will be one designated account for revenue, which will be handled by the apex body governing the corporations. 

A source, who attended the meeting in connection with carving out three or five corporations, said the government of Karnataka had decided to set up one account to manage revenue keeping in mind the economic health of these proposed corporations. From this account, money will be redistributed for developmental activities based on needs of the proposed corporations. 

The government will table the bill to split the BBMP in the upcoming Assembly session.

Anekal, Electronics City, and other areas that currently do not fall under the BBMP will be included under its jurisdiction, and there would be around 400 wards. However, there is a difference of opinion on the number of corporations. While the majority of them want to split the BBMP into five corporations, some are demanding to limit the number to three.  

Both Congress and BJP councillors whom The Hindu spoke to said the government is emulating the model (multiple corporations) prevalent in London. They predicted that the model would fail, as, they claim, it did in Delhi. The councillors predict that the corporations that collect more property tax will become richer while the rest will become poorer. This will hamper developmental activities, they claim. 

However, sources said, this will not be the case because there will be a single account for revenue, to be managed by the apex body administering the corporation. They insisted that there is no need for any fear of disparity in terms of revenue among the corporations. 

G.C. Chandrashekar, Rajya Sabha MP, who is in charge of the Bengaluru division of the Congress, said the party is ready for elections to the BBMP, and there is absolutely no intention of delaying the same.