Bangalore: The Government has decided to go ahead with the proposal to constitute a Greater Bangalore Authority on the lines of the agencies in Chennai and Mumbai, and legislation is being drafted to bring city municipal corporations adjoining Bangalore under it.

Minister for Municipal Administration S.R. Morey told presspersons here on Monday that the Bill in this regard will be introduced in the coming session of the legislature or in the budget session. He said the seven city municipal corporations around Bangalore and the Kengeri town municipality will form part of the new authority which will have wide powers in matters pertaining to development and maintenance of infrastructure. It will have about 150 wards under it.

The CMCs and the TMC are facing funds crunch and lack of capacity to take up development and maintenance of infrastructure. On the supply of Cauvery water to the CMC areas and Kengeri, Mr. Morey said work in this regard will be completed at the earliest. The local bodies have remitted about Rs. 30 crores to the Government as water charges, and it is not correct to say that the project is delayed because they have not made payment, he added.

The Government has approved a Rs. 460-crore project for the comprehensive development of 25 towns. The funds required will be provided by the Asian Bank Development at an interest rate of 5.5 per cent. The Finance Department recently gave in-principle clearance to the proposal of the Municipal Administration Department, and the proposal will be shortly placed before the State Cabinet.

On the World Bank assistance of Rs. 1,800 crores for the comprehensive development of 50 towns, Mr. Morey said funds have been received but the project is yet to be implemented since the towns concerned have not finalised a development plan.

They should prove that they can develop infrastructure. Work in eight of the 50 towns — Tiptur, Sakleshpur, Madikeri, Siddapura, Bhadravathi, Sringeri, Chikkaballapur and Doddaballapur — will begin shortly, and Rs. 86 crores has been allocated.

Mr. Morey said the Congress can come to power in the Dharwad Zilla Panchayat with the support of three independents or the Janata Dal (Secular). The State leadership has to decide, he added.

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