BANGALORE: Will the installation of the new coalition Government affect the functioning of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP)?

While veterans in the BMP do not think that the new Government will disturb the functioning of the civic body, there is anxiety among the authorities on a possible change in the official team.

Sources in the BMP told The Hindu on Friday that the Government might transfer a few top officials from the civic body and bring in officials of its choice.

Top-level changes

"No matter which party is at the helm of affairs at the State level, there have been instances of successive Chief Ministers appointing BMP commissioners of their choice," the sources pointed out.

While the former BMP commissioners K. Jairaj and M.R. Sreenivasa Murthy were the "blue-eyed" officials of the former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, sources said that the present Commissioner K. Jothiramalingam was the choice of the former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh.

"It is also likely that the other top officials in the civic body, who had been placed on deputation with the BMP by the previous Government, will also be replaced. But this does not mean it will affect the functioning of the civic body," the sources said.

Support

While the ruling Congress in the BMP Council is confident of all support from the new coalition Government in executing development works, a few corporators wonder whether the new Government will dissolve the council before the end of its term in November or even supersede it.

Sources clarified that such a thing cannot happen because after the 74th amendment to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (KMC), the urban local bodies have been made more powerful.

"Superseding a local body is not easy. It can happen only when the civic body takes some controversial decisions similar to the recent one taken by the Belgaum City Corporation. It is a long process and can happen only with the consent of all political parties," the sources pointed out.

"It is also not likely that the new Government will dissolve the council before its term ends. It is true that no Government wants the Opposition to take credit for the development of the city. But there are instances when different political parties ruled the State and BMP at the same time. Keeping the BMP elections in mind, the new Government may not want to do anything controversial," the sources added.

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