Bengaluru, June 18 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, held a meeting on Wednesday with party MLAs from Bengaluru over the division of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to facilitate the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Shivakumar stated, “Presently, a special programme is being formulated for Bengaluru city. I held discussions with our party MLAs regarding party organisation matters and the upcoming Bengaluru civic agency elections. We also discussed how many municipal bodies should be formed under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).”

“A discussion with opposition leaders is still pending. A decision will be made after taking them into confidence. I will have to speak to the Leader of the Opposition and take the opposition parties also into confidence,” Shivakumar stated.

He further stated that these formalities will have to be completed as the election is due for the Bengaluru civic agency.

Sources stated that some of the MLAs suggested that the BBMP should be divided into three divisions, whereas some opined that it should be divided into five divisions for effective administration. The MLAs also stated that the newly added regions of Bengaluru city will have to be developed as they lack basic amenities when compared to the central business district.

Sources further stated that the meeting concluded without taking any decision, and it was decided that after taking a call about divisions of the BBMP, it will be left to the discretion of CM Siddaramaiah to make a final decision.

Talking about solid waste disposal, Dy CM Shivakumar said, “Under the Swachh Bengaluru initiative, a helpline number has been launched for garbage disposal. If citizens click a photo of the garbage and send it to this number, the waste in that location will be cleared within a week. Regarding potholes, MLAs have been asked to focus on the wards in their constituencies. We are releasing grants for road works accordingly.”

“A movement to distribute property account records is being launched in Bengaluru. A pilot project will be initiated from July in the constituency of Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda. Around 25,000 property account documents have already been prepared. From July 1, these e-Khata documents will be delivered door-to-door for a month.

Bengaluru has 25 lakh properties, of which only 5 lakh owners have uploaded documents. Records for the remaining 20 lakh properties are pending,” Shivakumar said.

When asked whether there would be a campaign for the e-Khata initiative, he responded, “Yes, an awareness campaign will begin on July 1 to encourage private property owners to upload their documents and obtain e-Khatas. This one-month campaign will include door-to-door outreach, advertisements, and other publicity efforts.”

When asked about white-topping projects, he said, “White-topping work is underway in the city. I have personally inspected the quality of work in many places. Some projects are in progress.”

On being asked about the BBMP’s alleged inaction despite trees falling due to rains, he said, “Officials are not sitting idle. Work is being done based on priority.”

Regarding the issue of issuing ‘B-Khata’ documents, he stated, “The matter has been discussed in the cabinet meeting. After legal discussions, an official announcement will be made.”

–IANS

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