Mumbai: BMC spent Rs 3,000 crore on fight against Covid since 2020

MUMBAI: BMC has spent over Rs 3,000 crore on Mumbai’s fight against Covid-19 since 2020, data has shown. In the last seven months, BMC spent Rs.1,219.50 crore. In the last financial year, it spent Rs 1,809.95 crore. While there is no break-up on expenses corporators have repeatedly demanded that the civic body come out with a white paper on expenses made during Covid-19, especially as most proposals tabled before statutory committees would be passed without much discussion during the peak of the first and second waves, as there was a pandemic.
BJP’s nominated corporator Bhalchandra Shirsat, who is also party spokesperson, said BMC must come out with a ward-wise break-up on Covid expenses. “Many Covid-related purchases were made by BMC at inflated costs, so there is a need for a white paper detailing expenses,” said Shirsat.
Opposition party leader Ravi Raja emphasized that now with statutory committee meetings like standing committee in BMC taking place physically, it was the right time for the civic body to come out with a white paper. “BMC received a lot of funds via CSR during the pandemic, which also needs to be accounted for. The Rs 3,000 crore-plus expenses are finally taxpayers’ money and hence the break-up should be put in public domain,” he said.
Civic officials said in the initial months of Covid-19 maximum expenditure was made for setting up Covid-19 health infrastructure, especially field hospitals, providing food to patients at these facilities, distribution of food packets, expenditure towards hotel bills for accommodation of frontline staff, along with recruiting staff on contract basis. “Following the national lockdown in March 2020, BMC had also started sending out lakhs of food packets daily for beggars, stranded labourers and migrants across the city,” said an official, adding that other expenses made were on medical equipment such as personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, N95 masks, 3-ply masks, gloves, face shields, hydroxychloroquine, thermometers, body bags, protective eye-wear and sanitizers, followed by purchasing injections, including Remdesivir and Tocilizumab.
Vinod Mishra (BJP) said funds for work like roads were diverted in the name of Covid. “Expenditure is likely to be more as they used funds from other departments in the name of Covid,” he said.