Is this the end of BDA’s power? GBA takes over Bengaluru’s planning authority

Deputy CM D K Shivakumar announces that BDA’s long-held powers will now move to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), marking a major shift in how the city will be planned and governed.

The Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), once the city’s most powerful urban planning body, is now set to hand over its powers to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced the decision on Friday, describing it as a landmark reform that will transform the city’s governance structure.

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Speaking after the first-ever meeting of the GBA, Mr. Shivakumar said the new authority will serve as the single metropolitan planning body for Bengaluru, ensuring better coordination between agencies and faster decision-making. “All powers so far with BDA will now move to GBA. This is a major step towards unified urban governance,” he said.

However, he clarified that the BDA will continue to function under the GBA’s supervision and retain control over its own jurisdictional areas. “BDA will not be scrapped. It will operate under the GBA, but planning for BDA areas will not be done by GBA,” he explained.

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The Deputy CM also announced that even Transferable Development Rights (TDR), previously handled by the BDA, will now come under GBA’s purview to ensure quicker and more efficient processing.

This marks a significant turning point for the BDA, which has overseen Bengaluru’s urban planning for decades. With the GBA stepping in as the new planning authority, the city’s governance framework is set to become more streamlined.