More wards, same workforce: GBA, corporations struggle to deliver on the ground

As the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) nears its one-year anniversary, citizens face ongoing challenges while corporations struggle to implement effective governance. The State government replaced the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act in 2025 with the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, dissolving the BBMP and forming five corporations and a pan-city body called the GBA. The restructuring aimed to address local issues through decentralization.

However, the increased number of wards from 198 to 369 has not yielded the expected benefits. The city corporations still operate with a workforce adapted for the old 198-ward system, with a 40% vacancy rate. This hampers the administration's ability to connect with citizens. R. Rajagopalan, convenor of Bengaluru Coalition, criticizes the GBA as a novel concept without an execution plan, noting that citizens find it difficult to identify engineers responsible for their wards, often needing to visit corporation offices for minor issues.

Confusion persists about the functioning of the new system, with engineers holding dual charges and conveniently claiming responsibility for specific tasks. Accountability is reportedly lacking, as officials avoid taking ownership of broader responsibilities. This lack of accountability, coupled with limited ward-wise planning due to staff shortages, makes it difficult to resolve complex problems. Solid waste management, for example, requires micro-level planning, but the shortage of engineers hinders such efforts.

While the government has drafted new Cadre and Recruitment (C&R) Rules for the GBA, they have not yet been notified, as they await approval. Once implemented, these rules could lead to direct hiring and a more robust workforce. However, the current staffing issues hinder the GBA's ability to experiment with innovative solutions to long-standing problems.