Greater Bangalore Authority to Include 5 New Corporations

Thinking about how Bengaluru’s governance is about to change? The Karnataka government’s plan to form 5 new corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority could reshape the city’s future Read this blog to understand what it means for you.

Introduction – Redefining Bengaluru’s Urban Governance

Bangalore (now Bengaluru), one of the fastest-growing cities in India, is experiencing a historic change in its governance structure. Beginning in May 2025, the Karnataka government is rolling out a plan: Bengaluru will no longer be a single metropolitan area, it will be five municipal corporations, under the recently created Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). This restructuring aims to address critical governance challenges and introduce a new phase of urban management for the city’s rapidly growing population of over 14 million.

Why Is Bengaluru Being Divided? The Reason Behind 5 Corporations

The Challenges of the Old BBMP Model

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) managed the entire city’s civic affairs for years, covering a over 709 sqkm, and millions of residents. This concentration created: 

• Overburdened administration is unable to address hyper-local issues

• Decision-making often involves a slower process, as it all typically funnels to a central office

• Unequal amounts of attention and resources put into areas

• Without clear local leadership or mechanisms for engagement, how can residents possibly know who's responsible? These factors lead to low civic engagement and a lack of accountability

 The Logic Behind the Division  

The division into five corporations is based on key factors:

• Population Balance: Every new entity gets a manageable allotment of citizens (as evenly split)

• Geographical Spread: The city divided into into logical zones- North, South, East, West, Central with understandable boundaries, which makes governance more specific focused.

• Revenue Potential: Dividing regions to create local governments that are self-sustaining and will provide basic services efficiently

• Administrative Efficiency: Decentralizing powers to make local governments more responsive and accountable

When and Where Was Greater Bengaluru Authority Introduced?

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, was notified on May 15, 2025. The GBA replaced the BBMP as the apex governing body, led by the Chief Minister. The Act is one of India's most ambitious re-engineering moves to metropolitan governance by allowing several corporations within a new metropolitan space.

The Five New Corporations – Boundaries, Areas, and Populations

The government’s draft notification lists the five new corporations:

• Total area for all five: about 709 sq km, covering the entire previous BBMP region.

• Population: Total across all 5 zones is roughly equal to Bengaluru’s urban estimate: 14.3–14.4million

Main Logic Behind Demarcation 

The division considered:

• Population, area, density, revenue generation capacity

• Percentage employed in non-agriculture and available infrastructure

• Jurisdiction boundaries were drawn to align, as much as possible, with assembly constituencies (“Vidhanasabha kshetras”) for simplicity in governance

Greater Bengaluru Authority – An Overview

  Role and Structure  

• GBA is the overall management authority headed by the Chief Minister (Chairperson) and Bengaluru Development Minister (Vice-Chair)

• Independent city corporations govern their localities but function under GBA’s supervision for major development plans

• GBA’s jurisdiction is approximately 709 sqkm of Bengaluru’s metropolitan limits

GBA (Greater Bangalore Authority) and Vidhanasabha Constituencies

Each corporation encompasses 2 to 10 assembly constituencies (vidhanasabha kshetras) however the exact constituencies assigned to each corporation are determined as per the final gazetted notification—balancing administrative zones and electoral boundaries.

Which Agencies Come Under GBA? (BMRCL, BESCOM, BDA, BWSSB)

All key civic and urban infrastructure agencies now operate under the GBA’s umbrella.

The intent of using these agencies is to provide integrated and coordinated planning for all aspects of city-dweller life—from transportation, to water, electricity and housing - all under one organized planning authority.

Anticipated Effects: Pros and Cons  

Expected Benefits :

• Faster decision-making: Government can become more local and responsive

• Better service delivery: Decisions are based on needs of the neighborhoods (also good for transparency)

• Transparency: Will make accountability and transparency easier for citizens to track their officials

• Balanced growth: Encourages fairer distribution of infrastructure and disaster response

Concerns Raised :

• Fear of overlaps: Critics worry about confusion or duplication of responsibilities across corporations

• Resource allocation: There must be a thoughtful and equitable allocation of revenue and resources after a disaster and in normal circumstances

• Transition issues: The process of transferring assignments and authority may result in gaps in services to citizens

The plan, however, includes feedback periods and phased implementation to address these challenges.

Conclusion  

The Karnataka government's draft notification to form five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority represents a major shift in Bengaluru’s urban governance. By restructuring the massive BBMP into smaller, geographically defined corporations, the government’s aim is to support administrative efficiencies, improve civic service delivery and create local accountability

In spite of some subsequent challenges and varying perspectives, this process could effectively bring about a transformation for the City of Bengaluru which is, after all, India's IT capital poised for rapid urbanization to sustain development.

The open public consultation that's underway will be important to properly defining the final architecture of Bengaluru's civic administration.

Frequently asked questions:

1. What is the expected timeline for implementation?

After public consultations and boundary finalization, the plan will need legislative approval before it is fully implemented. This will likely take 6–12 months, possibly longer

2. How will civic services improve for residents?

With decentralized governance, issues like waste collection, road repairs, and water supply can be addressed faster at a local corporation level.

3.Can the draft notification be withdrawn or altered?

Yes—there will be changes before it is formally approved. These changes will come both from feedback from the consultations, as well as members of the legislature.

4.What areas will the five new corporations cover?

The five corporations—Central, East, North, South, and West Bengaluru—are demarcated based on existing wards in the BBMP, intended to balance the population and administrative workload

5.How does this reform benefit Bengaluru residents?

The goal of this reform is to facilitate access of administration to citizens, accelerate decision-making and enhance the quality and accessibility of civic services

6.Is Electronic City coming under Greater Bangalore?

Yes, Electronic City will come under the proposed Greater Bengaluru Authority's jurisdiction and expanded limits of coverage for Bengaluru

7.What is the greater Bengaluru development?

It’s a governance reform plan to divide Bengaluru into five municipal corporations and have 1 singular authority for the city to manage local governance, infrastructure, and civic services.

8.Is Bangalore no longer under BBMP?

Not yet. BBMP still governs Bengaluru, but the Karnataka government has proposed replacing it with five smaller corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority. This change will take effect only after public consultation and official approval.