BENGALURU: The government has decided to expand the boundaries of Tumakuru and Shivamogga city corporations by incorporating surrounding villages.
The Tumakuru City Corporation (TCC) is set to grow by including 54 villages across 14 gram panchayats, expanding its jurisdiction from 48 sq km to 174 sq km.
Home Minister G Parameshwara, who is also responsible for the district, informed TOI that Tumakuru, located near Bengaluru, is experiencing rapid growth, necessitating an expansion for development purposes. “I have instructed the deputy commissioner and TCC commissioner to expedite the process of including villages from 14 GPs. All necessary steps will be taken for the welfare of the community,” he stated.
Officials have reported that the corporation has submitted a detailed proposal to the district administration to facilitate the preparation of a comprehensive proposal for the government. Recently, Deputy Commissioner Subha Kalyan directed corporation officials to provide consent meeting records from the GPs that agreed to join the corporation.
Documents revealed by TOI indicate that villages from Arakere, Belagumba, Dodda Naravangala, Buduganahalli, Guluru, Heggere, Hettenahalli, Hirehalli, Kesaramadu, Mallasandra, Maidala, Swandenahalli, Oorukere, and K Palasandra GPs will be merged into TCC.
Officials from the TCC town planning division noted in a letter to the DC that agricultural activities in the expansion areas have decreased, while non-agricultural activities have surged. “These areas have lost their rural character and taken on an urban form,” they stated.
Similarly, efforts are underway to expand the Shivamogga Municipal Corporation (SMC) by incorporating 19 villages from nine GPs surrounding the city. District DC Gurudatta Hegde informed TOI that staff are currently developing a detailed proposal. “An earlier proposal was incomplete, as some villages were identified solely based on increased residential layouts, which is not the correct approach,” Hegde explained. He emphasized that only villages that have lost their rural character, where non-agricultural activities have increased along with revenue generation and other factors, should be included. “I have asked them to revise the proposal,” he added.
Sources indicate that the district administration will finalize the proposal shortly and submit it to the government for approval.
