From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 10: A day after announcing the constitution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s vision group – the Bengaluru Blue Print Action Group (BBPAG) - for Bengaluru’s development, the first citizen of the State capital has been included.
The State Government has come out with a modified Government Order on the constitution of BBPAG and included the Bengaluru Mayor and Vivek Menon, an urban expert, as its members.
The modified order issued stated that the BBPAG has 25 members and it is headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Commissioners of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority and Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) are permanent invitees to the meetings of the BBPAG.
The State Government has not included the Mayor in the first order issued on April 28, the details of which were released to the media on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said City Police Commissioner, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board would also be made permanent invitees to the meetings of the group.
The first meeting of the BBPAG would be held by May end, the minister said.
The Deputy Secretary of the (BBMP division) of the Urban Development Department is convenor of the Action Group.
BJP Opposes BBPAG
Meanwhile, the City unit of the BJP alleged that the formation of BBPAG by the State Government proved that the Siddaramaiah Government lacked concrete vision for the development of the City.
“We strongly object to the State Government’s attitude of blatantly ignoring the provisions of Constitution’s 74th Amendment which mandates formation of Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC),’’ said BJP City MLAs S Suresh Kumar and B N Vijay Kumar and BJP’s media in-charge S Prakash, in a press statement.
The State Government has deliberately chosen to form a parallel group to oversee the growth of the city against the spirit of constitution.
“We wish to remind the State Government that the Metropolitan Planning Committee is already in place with Chief Minister as the chairman. Unfortunately, Chief Minister himself is not showing any interest in its functioning,” they alleged.
The earlier avatar of BATF formed during S M Krishna regime failed to provide desired results to the development of the City.
“It is clearly evident that the Government has not done its homework before forming this new Group,’’ they said.
“True to his nature Siddaramaiah as usual slept over Bengaluru’s woes for the last three years. It is in the remaining last two years period that he is trying to project his pro-City image in futility,” they alleged.