Mumbai civic body’s expense on development work, highest in 10 years

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), known for presenting surplus budgets but utilising only a small percentage, spent more than 82 per cent of its 2017-18 capital budget – the highest in the last decade.

This means that compared to the last 10 years, the BMC has spent a larger percentage of the budget funds on roads, gardens, markets, water supply, sewerage projects, solid waste management, storm water drains, tree authority, and other development works in the city.

A civic official said, “Utilisation of the capital budget means visible development in the city. Earlier, the civic body used to have huge budgets that could not be entirely utilised within the year. Since last year, the municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta has presented more realistic budgets, with realistic targets, which can be met within the year.”

Last year, the civic body revised its budget for capital expenses to Rs6,111 crore, of which it spent Rs5,030 crore by March 31. This is about 31 per cent more than the capital expense in the financial year 2016-17.

According to data obtained from the municipal body, the BMC had utilised only 60 per cent of its Rs3,300-crore capital budget in 2007-08. The civic body utilised most of its budget provision for roads and traffic, water supply and sewerage, said the official.

At the same time, data revealed that only 70 per cent of the revised budget for implementation of the development plan (DP) was utilised. A major part of the DP allocation is spent on land acquisition and construction of new roads. Last year, the BMC had integrated the DP with the budget for the first time.

For this financial year, the BMC has presented a Rs27-crore budget, of which it plans to utilise Rs9,500 crores on capital expense.