BANGALORE: Citizens of the proposed Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will get 100 litres per capita water each day after the new civic body is formed, Health and Family Welfare Minister R. Ashok said here on Tuesday.

The Minister, who held a meeting with BMP Commissioner K Jairaj and senior officials of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, told The Hindu that he had directed the water board to gear up to meet the additional demand of water supply. BWSSB will require an additional 100 million litres a day to meet the drinking water needs of BBMP, the Minister said.

Mr. Ashok, who asserted that the process of forming BBMP would be completed by March, said elections to the new civic body would be conducted after that.

"We will not postpone elections at any cost after that," he said.

The Minister said there was a demand from several citizens to include seven villages from Varthur Hobli under the BBMP.

"We have received 114 responses to the BBMP proposal, of which 100 are in the form of suggestions. The demand for inclusion of more villages will be discussed. But we may not be able to incorporate it," he said. The Minister said the State Government would convince Governor T.N. Chaturvedi on the need for increasing the number of wards from 100 to 150 under BBMP.

The Governor recently returned an Ordinance forwarded by the Government seeking an amendment to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, which would facilitate an increase in the number of wards.

"I will discuss this with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and we will together convince the Governor on this issue before the next Legislature session. The final notification on BBMP will be issued after that," he said.

He said a consultant would be appointed to study the feasibility of developing more playgrounds and parks in BBMP.

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