Greater Bengaluru Authority Faces Legal Challenge Over 74th Amendment Violations

The framing of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA) and the constitution of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) have been placed under legal challenge in Bengaluru for allegedly violating the 74th Constitutional Amendment and weakening the third tier of local government.

The challenge highlights that the entire erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) area has functioned without an elected local government for six years. While the government established five separate corporations by splitting the BBMP under the claim of decentralisation, administrators continue to oversee the civic bodies amid repeated election delays.

Opponents also point to major infrastructure moves initiated in the absence of the constitutionally mandated Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) and without constituting the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA). Among these projects is an approved Rs 1.5 lakh crore plan to construct tunnel roads and elevated corridors aimed at private vehicle traffic.

The GBA has also moved to amend the Karnataka Parks (Preservation) Act to alienate protected heritage parklands, including areas of Lalbagh. Furthermore, decisions have been taken to amend the BMLT Act, even as statewide budgets for health and education remain under Rs 50,000 crore.

The legal challenge raises additional concerns regarding civic and urban governance decisions, including the eviction of street vendors under pedestrian initiatives, the reduction of lake buffer zones, the regularisation of building plan violations, and the relaxation of floor-area ratios and building bye-laws across the city.