Budget thought: Why should B'luru be dependent on state?

Rasheed Kappan | NT

Bengaluru: The State Budget is just around the corner, and Bengaluru’s wish list for a big fiscal boost to its multi-pronged infrastructural push is long. From BMTC buses halted for want of drivers to lakes and drains in disrepair, from a waste management system in shambles to roads in chaos, the city needs a serious dose of funds.

But a fundamental question remains: Should the city always be so Statedependent? Consider this: Bengaluru, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in excess of $110 billion, makes up over 85 per cent of Karnataka’s total GDP. The city contributes a whopping 35-36 percent of the country’s total IT exports.

And yet, the city’s public infrastructure is allowed to crumble for want of funds from the state government! Funds crunch is a standard excuse for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). This is all about the devolution of funds from the 15th Finance Commission to the State Finance Commission to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

This is the taxpayers’ money, and not a gift from any political party, state government or chief minister. As civic activist Srinivas Alavilli puts it, “We don’t want an Amrit Nagarottana, Siddaramaiah Nagarottana or Yediyurappa Nagarottana, given as some kind of gift to Bengaluru.”

Fiscal decentralisation

A robust mechanism of ‘fiscal decentralisation’ is what the BBMP and other ULBs in the state need. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments mandate this.

“That system is not running properly in Karnataka and many other states. Governments, irrespective of who runs them, keep talking about funds to the states. But once the money comes, they don’t decentralise further. If Bengaluru gets a good fraction of the taxes we pay, BBMP will have plenty of money,” he contends.

Deprived of an elected BBMP Council for well over 2.5 years, local governance has descended into a systemic slumber. Bengalureans do not even have a corporator to complain to. Bureaucracy too is embedded in a system tied to government doles.

Since the Palike has no powers to hire engineers and additional sanitation workers for each of the 243 wards, the system awaits the government’s green signal. The logic is simple: Empower the Palike, let the funds flow, and they will know exactly what the city needs.

“You don’t control from the state capital what the city should do. Let the city decide. Can Delhi decide what must happen in Bengaluru or Mangaluru? It cannot. We want less control of the state government over city governance. This is the long-term solution.”

Strengthen city institutions

In the words of Srikanth Viswanathan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, “State budgets should allocate funds for Bengaluru along two tracks, one track of strengthening city institutions namely the BBMP, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), BMTC, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the City Police, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) and a second track of infrastructure and services.”

The first track, he notes, has been long neglected and is directly impacting the quality of infrastructure and life. “We need these institutions to be well capitalised and right staffed. They can't just be passthrough vehicles for State funding and plans but need to be autonomous and accountable to Bengalureans. We need them to publish their 5-10 year plans and have commensurate funds and staff.”

On infrastructure and services, he says, “We need to put 4Es at the centre, Economy, Environment, Equity and Engagement of citizens. I would therefore look for prioritising walkability (through high-quality Tender SURE roads!) and buses, more urban forests, parks and playgrounds particularly for women and the urban poor, and a concerted effort to finally solve solid and liquid waste management in the city.”

The State, Srikanth emphasizes, should also invest in high-quality transparent public finance management systems to ensure citizens know where and how money is being spent.