BMP to launch website for e-governance

By Govind D.Belgaumkar and K.V.Subramanya

BANGALORE, MAY 24. E-governance is catching up in the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP). Soon, citizens will not have to knock on the doors of the BMP to get forms for licences, building plans, building completion certificates, birth and death certificates and other services. They can download them from the website, www.blrbmp.com.

The form for the self-assessment scheme (SAS) of property tax will also be available on the website, though the last date for property-holders to opt for the scheme is May 29.

The website, designed and developed by Comat Technologies, is likely to be launched within a week, according to BMP sources. Comat Technologies hosts bangaloreonline.com which, it claims, is the official portal through which e-governance is conducted. The firm has developed the BMP website free of cost, and has agreed to maintain it free. Though it was planned to be launched on Thursday, "unavoidable circumstances" forced the BMP to postpone the date. Indications are that the website will be launched only after the May 29 deadline of the SAS.

The website, which will be updated regularly, will provide general information regarding the BMP, a brief history and its activities, programmes and goals. A few photographs and graphics will also be displayed.

Tender documents running into hundreds of pages will also be available on the website. This will help the contractors download the documents rather than going through the "cumbersome procedure" of purchasing them from the various BMP offices. This will earn the BMP the distinction of being the only city corporation in the country to make tender documents available online as most e-governance websites display only tender notifications.

The "BMP Charter" listing the duties and responsibilities of the BMP may come in handy for citizens. It will educate people about their duties, sources say.

The details about the "Swachcha Bangalore" programme of the BMP, which promises to bring 25 per cent of the City area under the door-to-door garbage collection scheme, will also be available at the website.

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Section  : Southern States
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