>Vanisaac at 00:10, 6 April 2021

2021-04-06T00:10:35Z

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{{Infobox government agency
| name = Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee
| type = Committee
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| formed = 8 June 2018
| jurisdiction = [[Government of Karnataka]]
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
The '''Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee''' (BMPC) is a metropolitan planning body comprising 30 members, and tasked with the responsibility of preparing a draft 5-year development plan for the Bangalore metropolitan region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/will-bangalore-get-maths-physics-and-chemistry-right-this-time-5874|title=Will Bangalore get Maths, Physics and Chemistry right this time?|last=Shree|first=D N|date=21 November 2013|work=Citizen Matters}}</ref> The formation and activities of the BMPC represents a long struggle between activists and successive governments of Karnataka over the devolution of planning powers to local authorities as per the Constitution (74th) Amendment Act, 1992. Currently ambiguity surrounds the function and authority of the BMPC given that its mandate overlaps with the powers of the [[Bangalore Development Authority|Bangalore Development Authority (BDA)]], the de facto planning authority for the Bangalore metropolitan region.

== Background ==
The BMPC was formed according to the requirements of The Constitution (74th) Amendment Act, 1992. This Act mandated the formation of a planning authority for each metropolitan area and tasked it with the responsibility of preparing a draft development plan.<ref name=":0" /> Due to the reluctance of the successive Governments of Karnataka to shift planning responsibilities from the [[Bangalore Development Authority|Bangalore Development Authority (BDA)]] to a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC), this amendment was not implemented for more than 20 years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/metropolitan-planning-panel-rules-notified/article5546235.ece|title=Metropolitan planning panel rules notified|date=7 January 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=11 January 2020}}</ref>

When the Siddaramaiah government moved to set up a new Bangalore task force in March 2014 called the Vision Group, activists successfully petitioned the High Court to stay the task force until the formation of a BMPC.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/doomed-to-repeat-past-mistakes-bengaluru-vision-group-runs-into-trouble-over-absentees-2776096.html|title=Doomed to repeat past mistakes? Bengaluru Vision Group runs into trouble over absentees|last=Murali|first=Janaki|date=11 May 2016|work=First Post}}</ref> Following notification of the Draft Metropolitan Planning Committee Rules by the Government of Karnataka in 2013,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/185336848/MPC-draft-notification-November-7-2013|title=No. UDD 356 MNJ 2005 (P)|date=7 November 2013|work=Urban Development Seretariat}}</ref> the formation of a '''Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee''' (BMPC) was formalized in January 2014<ref name=":1" /> following pressure by the High Court of Karnataka.<ref name=":2" />

T R Raghunandan, former Joint Secretary, Panchayati Raj, Government of India described the MPC rules as "symptomatic of a much deeper dysfunctionality" due to the fact that planning responsibilities are currently concentrated in the hands of parastatals such as the BDA and BMRDA which were created prior to the 74th amendment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/bangalore-metropolitan-planning-committee-constituted-problems-6790|title=How Siddaramaiah's government crippled Bengaluru in 11 ways recently|last=Chamaraj|first=Kathyayini|date=16 September 2014|work=Citizen Matters}}</ref> For the MPC to work properly, Karnataka will need to reform the whole planning system to factor in the spirit and requirements of the amendment.

The first Committee had 30 members comprising elected corporators from the [[Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike|BBMP]], commissioners from other civic agencies and ministers of the state legislature. The chairman of the Committee was the Chief Minister of Karnataka. Having formed the BMPC at the behest of the court, and under pressure from activists, the government showed little enthusiasm for the committee and no meetings where called between September 2014 and February 2016, after which it was dissolved.

A new committee was elected in February 2016 and has met on several occasions since then,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/Metropolitan-planning-panel-meets-for-second-time-members-complain-of-short-notice/article16869885.ece|title=Metropolitan planning panel meets for second time, members complain of short notice|date=17 December 2016|work=The Hindu}}</ref> albeit with members reporting that the meeting are informal and lasted no more than a few minutes over a cup of tea.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/bangalore-metropolitan-plan-panel-meets-only-for-chai-not-charcha/articleshow/60920638.cms?from=mdr|title=Bangalore Metropolitan plan panel meets only for chai, not charcha|last=Bureau|first=ET|date=3 October 2017|work=The Economic Times|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref>

In June 2018, following government efforts to appoint a new expert led advisory committee, the Bengaluru Blueprint Task Force, the High Court directed the Government to transfer all documents to the BMPC.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/thanks-k-taka-hc-bengaluru-may-not-get-another-unwanted-expert-committee-82933|title=Thanks to K'taka HC, Bengaluru may not get another unwanted 'expert committee'|last=Chatterjee|first=Soumya|date=12 June 2018|work=The News Minute|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref>

On 11 December 2020, the government passed a new municipal law applicable to the BBMP — the [[Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act 2020]] - separating it from the [[Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act 1976]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=JHA|first=Ramanath|date=30 January 2021|title=The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act, 2020: A critical appreciation|work=ORF|url=https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/the-bruhat-bengaluru-mahanagara-palike-act-2020-a-critical-appreciation/|url-status=live|access-date=6 April 2021}}</ref> The new law allows for the creation of a Metropolitan Planning Committee to prepare a development plan for Bangalore. Civic advocacy groups have criticised the proposed committee powers as “weak” and lacking the necessary powers to solve urban problems<ref>{{Cite news|last=P K|first=Naya|date=7 January 2021|title=Karnataka’s new municipal law tightens Govt grip on BBMP|work=Citizen Matters|url=https://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/bbmp-bill-municipal-law-autonomy-local-self-government-55639|url-status=live|access-date=6 April 2021}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Bangalore Agenda Task Force]]
*Bengaluru Blueprint Action Group
* [[Bangalore Development Authority]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Government of Bangalore]]
[[Category:Urban planning in India]]

Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee - Revision history

>Vanisaac at 00:10, 6 April 2021