MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is the richest civic body in Asia, has tabled its highest ever budget for FY27, with the expenditure focus continuing to be on boosting Mumbai's creaky infrastructure.
The budget for the next fiscal of Rs 80,952 crore is markedly higher than last year’s outlay of Rs 74,427.41 crore.
It may be noted that after many years without elections for the 282-member BMC, the polls were finally held last month, with the BJP becoming the single largest party.
Presenting the budget, BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said the civic body continues to prioritise capital spending. “Capital expenditure forms almost 60% of the budget at Rs 48,164 crore,” he said.
Infrastructure remains the key focus area of the budget. The Sewage Disposal Project has been allocated Rs 5,690 crore, while the cement road mega project has received Rs 5,520 crore. The Coastal Road (North) project has been allocated Rs 4,000 crore, the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road gets Rs 2,650 crore, and the water conveyance tunnel project has been allocated Rs 2,324 crore, the commissioner said.
Providing an update on the Coastal Road (North) project, the BMC said it is targeted for completion by July 2029. Once operational, it is expected to handle up to 78,000 passengers per day, cut travel time by 30-40 minutes, and reduce carbon emissions by 48%.
On the progress of the road concretisation drive aimed at making city roads pothole-free, the civic body said work on 700 km of roads has been undertaken in two phases. Of this, 342 km has already been completed, while the remaining stretches are under progress. So far, about 1,566 km of roads and roadside strips have been improved with cement concrete.
“Nearly 75 percent of Phase-I and 50 percent of Phase-II work has been completed. Phase-I is expected to be finished by May 2026 and Phase-II by December this year,” he said.
He also said the budget allocation for education is Rs 4,248 crore.
On the revenue side, the BMC’s top sources of income include Rs 15,550 crore from octroi compensation, Rs 12,050 crore from development plan fees and premium, and Rs 7,000 crore from property tax. Water and sewer charges are expected to bring in Rs 2,393 crore, while interest on investments is projected at Rs 2,572 crore.
With a significant portion of the budget directed towards capital spending, the FY27 plan signals a continued push towards upgrading core urban infrastructure, improving road quality, expanding sewage capacity and strengthening public education in the city, the commissioner said.