The Hindu : Front Page : Administrator for BMP from Friday

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Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006
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Administrator for BMP from Friday

S. Rajendran and Afshan Yasmeen

Three officials shortlisted for the post; council term ends tomorrow

LAST SNAP: Mayor Mumtaz Begum waiting for councillors for the customary photograph of the BMP Council, in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

S. Rajendran and

Afshan Yasmeen

BANGALORE: The State Government has finalised on the appointment of an administrator to hold overall charge of Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BMP) which is scheduled for a major expansion encompassing eight city and town municipal councils apart from 111 villages adjoining Bangalore. The term of the incumbent council of the BMP ends on November 23. The Government will not be superseding the BMP while it would be doing so in the case of the city and town municipal councils which also have elected bodies.

The Government has said that the administrator will have jurisdiction over the BMP territory and that his appointment will be restricted to the interregnum-- between the end of term of the present council and the next round of elections to the BMP. The formation of the Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation, also known in local parlance as Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has already been notified and the Government is awaiting the completion of the statutory period before taking the next step towards its formation. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu that the formation of Greater Bangalore was his "dream project" and that the Government would go all out to ensure that Bangalore developed to the expectations of the people. The appointment of an administrator was towards achieving this goal and the Government had finalised on the appointment.

Sources in the Government told The Hindu here today that Additional Chief Secretary A.K.Agarwal, Principal Secretary Dilip Rau and Chairman of the Bangalore Development Authority Ramesh Kumar had been shortlisted for the post of administrator. Mr. Agarwal is likely to be the first administrator of Greater Bangalore although he is the next in line for appointment as Chief Secretary to the Government.

With the Government working on the formation of BBMP, the BMP elections that had to be held in November have been postponed. The ruling Congress in the BMP council has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking directions to the Government to hold the elections as per schedule. The Congress has quoted the October 19 Supreme Court order regarding holding of elections for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in its petition.

The process of delimitation (reorganisation of wards based on population) and the revision of roster of reservation for the wards that have to be completed before the elections are likely to be done only after the BBMP is in place.

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