Bengaluru is set to witness a major overhaul in urban governance as the state government finalises the blueprint for the administration of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which will commence operations from Monday. The new structure aims to centralise management of key departments including health, education, revenue, and finance, previously functioning under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), to improve efficiency and transparency across the metropolitan region.
Under the new system, three IAS officers have been appointed as special commissioners, reporting directly to the Chief Commissioner of GBA, an officer of Principal Secretary rank with a three-year tenure. The Chief Commissioner will also serve as the District Election Officer, ensuring integrated governance and accountability across the city. One special commissioner will manage Public Relations, Coordination, Elections, Disaster Management, and Forest, Environment and Climate Change, while another will oversee revenue generation, information technology, and administrative operations of the GBA. “The administration of staff across Bengaluru’s five corporations will be coordinated by the Special Commissioner, Administration, GBA. Existing BBMP staff, along with personnel on deputation from the Urban Development Department, will be integrated until the new system is fully operational,” an official explained. Education and health functions will be supervised by a separate Special Commissioner, ensuring focused attention on these citizen-centric services.
Financial operations will be directly managed by a Special Commissioner (Finance) serving as the Chief Financial Officer. Other key positions reporting to the Chief Commissioner include Legal Cell Head, Chief Vigilance Officer, Chief Town Planner, Head of Engineering Wing, Chief Engineer-Planning, Superintending Engineers, Executive Engineers, and Assistant Executive Engineers. Additionally, Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-Smile) and the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force, responsible for maintaining discipline among parastatal agencies and enhancing transparency, will come under the GBA Chief Commissioner’s supervision. Five newly appointed Municipal Corporation Commissioners, overseeing Bengaluru North, South, East, West, and Central, will operate under the direction of the GBA Chief Commissioner. This structure is designed to ensure unified decision-making, streamlined service delivery, and effective monitoring of urban development projects across the metropolitan region.
Experts in urban governance highlighted that the GBA’s launch is a critical step towards sustainable city management. Centralising core functions under specialised commissioners can significantly improve responsiveness, reduce bureaucratic delays, and enable a more equitable distribution of services, particularly in health, education, and urban infrastructure. Officials emphasised that the GBA will also focus on eco-friendly urban planning, climate-responsive measures, and gender-sensitive service delivery. With the GBA’s operationalisation, Bengaluru is poised to strengthen its governance framework, enhance citizen services, and improve strategic planning for a rapidly expanding urban population, aligning with broader objectives of sustainable and equitable city management.
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