BDA proposes four zonal offices to bring administration closer to citizens
The move has faced criticism from residents who claim it is a way to retain temporary land acquisition officers.
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has proposed the establishment of four zonal offices to bring administration closer to the public, according to the Deccan Herald.
The BDA aims to follow the model of the city's five municipal corporations. These offices will be led by zonal commissioners, who will be senior-scale Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officers.
The BDA has requested the Urban Development Department (UDD) to amend its Cadre and Recruitment (C&R) rules to allow these appointments. The authority has also suggested upgrading the posts of four special land acquisition officers (SLAOs), who are currently serving on a temporary basis, to head the new offices.
BM Shivakumar, convener of Jayaprakash Narayana Vichara Vedike, said the SLAOs currently have no work in the BDA as the Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout has been formed and is ready for allotment. He claimed that retaining them as zonal commissioners will increase administrative expenses, including salaries, and stated the BDA has enough staff to run the offices without amending C&R rules.
A senior BDA official said the proposal would streamline administration and speed up grievance redressal. The official added that adopting the municipal corporation model will reduce the number of desks a file must pass through to help address grievances faster.