Karnataka Govt Plans Major Civic Overhaul: Greater Bengaluru Authority to Span 1,000 sq.km

The Karnataka government is moving ahead with a major urban governance overhaul, proposing to expand the city’s civic limits to as much as 1,000 sq.km under a new body the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). This would mark a substantial increase from the current 709 sq.km under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

The expansion comes in the wake of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s assent to the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, which aims to streamline and decentralize urban administration in India’s tech capital. The GBA will function as the new planning and governance body for areas beyond BBMP’s limits but within the 1,219 sq.km overseen by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).

Multiple high-level meetings have been held over the past week with senior bureaucrats and members of the Brand Bengaluru Committee to finalize the GBA’s boundaries. Sources involved in the discussions said the government is looking to bring at least 25 peripheral villages now largely absorbed into the city’s expanding sprawl—under the GBA’s fold. These areas, which have seen rapid urbanization due to inward migration and infrastructure investments, are expected to be key revenue contributors once integrated.

In parallel, the BBMP could be split into three to five smaller municipal corporations to decentralize administration and improve civic services. Officials say this restructuring will ensure better resource distribution and governance, particularly in under-served areas.

The GBA will serve as the local planning authority for its designated area, while the BDA will transition to a support role, providing assessments and technical inputs. Final approval of planning proposals will lie with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC), which will see its jurisdiction expanded to cover the new GBA region.

The State government is also preparing a detailed ward delimitation plan to account for population density, existing infrastructure, and revenue potential key criteria to ensure balanced governance across the new corporations.

The formal notification of the GBA boundaries and BMPC expansion is expected in the coming weeks.