Deadline has been extended for ward committees till May 15

Bengaluru: Around 40 corporators of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had submitted a list of names for appointment to ward committees before the deadline expired on Wednesday.

"These names will be sent to the Commissioner and once the committees are notified, will be put up on the BBMP website," according to a BBMP official.

Twenty six of 198 wards had ward committees during the last year. It has prompted Mayor G. Padmavathi to extend the deadline to May 15.

However, citizens fear that the current process will only end up with committees being filled with cronies of corporators.

"The court had orally observed that all the names in a corporator's list should not be selected; only two or three names should be considered," said civic Bengaluru Executive Trustee Kathyayani Chamaraj.

Registered associations, like RWAs, get three seats. But the BBMP website does not offer any information on how a citizen who does not represent an association can apply to be a member of a ward committee.

The Mayor has said that citizens are welcome to suggest names for the committee to the BBMP Commissioner.