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Bengaluru City Council Launches Live Online Broadcasts Starting December 26
BBMP will stream council proceedings on its website from the December 26 meeting onward, following a successful pilot during the October mayoral polls.
How we reported this
Bengaluru residents will soon be able to watch city council meetings live on the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike website. The civic body announced the move this week, with the first full broadcast scheduled for the December 26 council session. Officials said the webcast will run on both mobile and desktop devices and will be handled by the Palike IT Department.
The change comes after years of criticism over how the civic body manages roads, waste and other basic services. Council meetings have long been closed to public viewing except for those who attend in person. The new format aims to let residents see exactly what decisions are made and how their elected representatives participate.
London model and local pilot
BBMP officials pointed to the London civic authority as an example of open proceedings. A test run took place during the mayoral election process in October, when the same technology was used without major issues. The December 26 session will mark the first regular meeting shown live to the public.
The council includes representatives from all 198 wards and is led by the mayor and deputy mayor. The commissioner and other senior staff also join at times to respond to questions from corporators. Live access is expected to give people a clearer view of these discussions.
Earlier push for openness
The idea was first raised in June by Special Commissioner BM Vijay Shankar after a city survey by Janaagraha showed strong resident support. Former mayor Sampath Raj backed the plan at the time, noting it would help citizens track how the body operates. Current Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun has said residents deserve to know what takes place in these sessions.
A separate review of 2017 records showed the council passed 483 resolutions that year, with 132 focused on renaming roads, parks and playgrounds. Observers have questioned whether enough time went to pressing infrastructure matters. The live stream could make such patterns more visible going forward.
The December 26 meeting will be the first public test of the full system. Anyone with internet access can follow the proceedings on the BBMP site without needing to travel to the council chamber.