One year on, decision-making and public interaction improved, revenue generation has scope for improvement: GBA chief

One year after its establishment, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and the five city corporations have seen improvements in decision-making and public interaction, according to GBA chief commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao. Rao noted that with more decision-makers at the corporation level, local and long-standing issues are being resolved more swiftly.

Works that can have their budgets approved and allocated at the corporation level are being executed faster, and citizen interaction has increased, enhancing the implementation of local projects.

However, the chief commissioner admitted that there is room for improvement in revenue generation. He cited two primary reasons for this: the West Asia crisis, which caused a shortage of bitumen, and various surveys, including the SIR, socio-economic survey, and census. While the government provided funds and approved projects, some of these could not be implemented due to the cited issues.

Moreover, the anticipated revenue collection did not meet the corporations' initial expectations, despite budget provisions for avenues such as tax revision, premium floor area ratio (FAR) charges, and other sources. The chief commissioner highlighted that although funds can be utilized in the future, more work can be undertaken with those resources.

Rao also mentioned enhanced coordination and efficiency within the GBA. Additionally, the authority has finalized a location for constructing new corporation offices, while the search for a site is ongoing for two corporations. The current GBA chief commissioner, T.M. Vijay Bhaskar, a former chief secretary, has submitted a report on cadre and recruitment rules for the GBA, which has been sent to the government for approval. Another report is pending, after which subsequent actions will be taken.