Key takeaway
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 creates a unified metropolitan corporation with decentralized ward-level participation, stronger urban planning powers, and digital-by-default service delivery—designed to make Bengaluru’s growth more coordinated, equitable, and sustainable.
Why this Act now
Bengaluru’s population has crossed 12 million, exposing the limits of fragmented agencies and legacy processes in planning, infrastructure, and service delivery; the Act responds with a metropolitan-scale governance model shaped by 2022–2023 consultations and legislative review.
What the Act aims to do
- Establish a single metropolitan governance framework for core and peripheral areas to reduce overlap and improve accountability.
- Modernize planning, financing, and service systems for sustainable, inclusive development and climate resilience across the urban region.
- Institutionalize participatory, decentralized administration to balance city-wide vision with ward-level priorities and transparency.
The metropolitan area
The “Greater Bengaluru Metropolitan Area” legally consolidates BBMP, nearby municipal councils, town panchayats, and select village panchayats based on density, connectivity, and economic activity, with provisions for future expansion as the city grows and satellites mature.
How governance is structured
- Unified metropolitan corporation led by an indirectly elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor, with a State-appointed Commissioner as CEO for execution.
- Zonal Commissioners oversee service delivery across zones, supported by standing committees for Finance, Planning, Public Health, Works, and Welfare.
- Ward Committees institutionalize local decision-making and citizen participation through micro-plans and budget consultations.
Elections and representation
Councilors are directly elected at ward level; the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are chosen from among councilors, with rules for meetings, quorums, voting, resignation, recall, and disqualification to preserve democratic integrity and continuity.
Inclusive reservations
- Women: minimum 33% reservation across all categories to improve gender representation.
- SC/ST: seats reserved proportionate to latest census data for equitable participation.
- OBC: reservation aligned with state policy, using a rotational system over election cycles.
What the Corporation can do
- Infrastructure: roads, utilities, public works, and civic assets development fall under the corporation’s core mandate.
- Urban planning: prepares and enforces statutory master plans, zoning, building codes, FSI norms, and setbacks.
- Revenue: empowered to levy property/profession taxes, user fees, planning charges, and manage audits and budgets.
Financial architecture
Sustainable financing blends autonomous revenue (property tax, user fees, development charges) with state grants, borrowing powers, and dedicated infrastructure funds, under mandatory budgeting, auditing, and committee oversight for accountability.
Urban planning powers
The corporation leads metropolitan master planning, applies land-use and zoning controls, mandates EIAs for major projects, and sets green building standards and climate-resilient norms to future-proof growth.
Service delivery standards
- Water: equitable supply, quality monitoring, and conservation frameworks.
- Sanitation: networked sewerage, treatment plants, public hygiene infrastructure.
- Waste: segregation, recycling, scientific processing and disposal across solid and liquid streams.
- Public health: disease control, food safety, vital registrations, and emergency response readiness.
Environment and climate
The Act enforces comprehensive waste regulations (solid, e-waste, biomedical, hazardous), protects lakes, wetlands, and green spaces, and tightens pollution controls, while incentivizing rainwater harvesting, solar, and eco-friendly construction.
Digital by default
Citizen services, payments, and approvals move online with an integrated e-governance portal, real-time dashboards, 48-hour grievance redressal, and open-data transparency for budgets and expenditures.
Enforcement and penalties
A tiered fine structure covers illegal construction, encroachments, environmental violations, and obstruction of officials, with summary powers for urgent action and defined appeal mechanisms to ensure due process.
Inter-agency integration
Coordination protocols govern cooperation, asset and staff transfers, and data sharing across state and parastatal bodies to reduce duplication and streamline metropolitan service delivery.
Transition roadmap
Existing municipal bodies and gram panchayats are merged into the new corporation, with assets, liabilities, staff, and ongoing contracts safeguarded through explicit transfer and continuity provisions.
Implementation timeline
- Aug 2025: Act notified into force to kickstart the transition.
- Sep 2025: Greater Bengaluru Corporation is constituted through consolidation.
- Jan 2026: Ward and Zonal Committees operational for decentralized governance.
- Mar 2026: First Metropolitan Development Plan tabled for 2026–2030.
- 2026–2030: Full services integration and digital governance rollout.
What this means for stakeholders
- Citizens: faster, transparent services, localized planning voice, and better city-wide coordination.
- Developers: clearer planning authority, predictable codes (FSI, setbacks), and digital approvals for speed and compliance.
- Investors: stronger fiscal oversight, diversified revenue base, and long-term infrastructure planning for stability.
- Environmental groups: enforceable protections, EIA mandates, and measurable pollution control accountability.
Bottom line
By unifying governance, deepening decentralization, and codifying digital, environmental, and financial discipline, the Act sets a new operating system for Bengaluru’s next growth cycle—aimed at making development more coordinated, equitable, and resilient at metropolitan scale.