GBA provision to appoint ward committee members draws citizens’ ire

V. Ravichandar, Bengaluru Restructuring Committee member, says allowing GBA to nominate ward committee members is against the spirit of the 74th Amendment relating to decentralisation.
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In what may contradict the spirit of decentralisation and the 74th Amendment to the Constitution, the Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Bill 2024 has proposed granting the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) powers to appoint members and participate in the formation of ward committees. The Bill was passed in the legislative assembly on Monday.

Experts say GBA’s power should not extend to ward committees as this could restrict the participation of eligible citizens. They emphasise that GBA’s role should be confined to planning and coordination rather than controlling corporations or other bodies. Strengthening ward committees is crucial, they contend, since corporations are composed of wards, and at the grassroots level of a decentralised system, citizen participation is essential. The proposal to empower the GBA in this process, they say, undermines the Bill’s very purpose.

Ward committee structure

According to the Bill, each ward committee will be chaired by the ward’s elected councillor and will include 14 additional members. Among them, at least two must belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, three should be women, and two must represent recognised Residents’ Welfare Associations that have been active for at least three years.

The GBA will nominate four members from among the registered voters of the ward, while the city corporation will appoint three additional members. The remaining seven members will be selected through a random draw from eligible applicants.

Ward committee members can be disqualified under conditions that prevent them from contesting for the city corporation councillor position. Their tenure is limited to twenty months, ensuring periodic restructuring. Furthermore, the commissioner or an authorised official must nominate committee members within thirty days of the city corporation elections, ensuring timely formation and effective civic administration.

GBA’s involvement sparks criticism

V. Ravichandar, a member of the Bengaluru Restructuring Committee, told The Hindu that allowing GBA to nominate four ward committee members is not desirable and against the spirit of the 74th Amendment relating to decentralisation. “The restructuring committee’s idea of proportional representation in the ward committee based on relative vote share is more representative of local area citizen sentiment than this top down nomination,” he said.

Srinivas Reddy, a former member of the Hagadur ward committee, argued that this provision could be legally challenged as it contradicts the 74th Amendment. The amendment, enacted in 1992 and implemented in 1993, granted constitutional status to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and defined their powers and responsibilities. While the GBG Bill designates the GBA as a local planning authority, Mr. Reddy asserted that its role should be limited to planning, not appointing members to a decentralised body. He said that this provision could facilitate political appointments rather than genuine citizen representation.

Mr. Reddy further said this unusual authority granted to the GBA raises suspicions that it is designed to install political loyalists of MLAs from various assembly constituencies. If implemented, these four GBA-nominated members could dominate ward committees, potentially sidelining citizen voices.