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Of Rs 206 cr given to BMC corporators, Mahayuti parties get 96.8%

A closer look into the records show that Friday’s funds were allocated disproportionately amongst the corporator members.

Clock towers, commercial plaza and entertainment zones to come up at four defunct toll nakas in MumbaiJP’s Ritu Tawde, a corporator from Ward 132 in Ghatkopar, took charge as Mumbai Mayor on February 11.(File Photo)

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde on Friday distributed Rs 206.5 crore amongst the BMC’s elected corporators. This fund represents an additional corpus distributed by the Mayor for carrying out civic works at the municipal wards and the discretion of distributing these funds lies solely with the Mayor. Usually each corporator receives an annual development fund of Rs 1.6 crore. In addition to this, the civic standing committee makes financial allocations. For the current financial year, the standing committee allocated Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 3 crore to corporators hailing from the ruling alliance, while a blanket allocation of Rs 25 lakh have been made for those hailing from the opposition parties.

However, a closer look into the records show that Friday’s funds were allocated disproportionately amongst the corporator members.

“The mayor has the power to decide who gets how much of the allocated funds. The specified corpus falls under the Mayor’s fund. This fund is cleared after tabling a proposal in the civic house where a voting of majorities are carried out ahead of clearing it,” said a civic official.

According to civic records, of the Rs 206.5 crore that has been distributed, Rs 200 crore or 96.85 per cent was allocated to the ruling Mahayuti alliance that comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Shiv Sena along with the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that has formed a single party bloc with the Sena and extended their support to the ruling alliance.
Of the 227 elected corporators in BMC, 89 are from the BJP, 29 are from Sena while three are from the NCP factions.

On an average, the elected members from the ruling alliance have received funds between Rs 2 crore and Rs 4 crore. However, some members like Archana Bhalerao (BJP) received Rs 10 crore, Kiran Landge (Shiv Sena) got Rs 5 crore, Tejinder Singh Tiwana (BJP) received Rs 5 crore and Vijendra Shinde (Shiv Sena) received Rs 4.5 crore.

Opposition parties — comprising the Sena UBT, Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and AIMIM — received Rs 6 crore, of which Sena UBT corporator and leader of opposition (LoP) Kishori Pednekar received Rs 1 crore. Sena UBT’s Deepmala Badhe and Yashodar Phanse received Rs 1 crore each. Ashraf Azmi, Yeshwant Killedar and Vijay Ubale who are the group leaders of Congress, MNS and AIMIM respectively, have also received Rs 1 crore each.

When contacted, Ganesh Khankar, leader of the house, told The Indian Express that the funds are allocated by the Mayor on the basis of the requests floated by the corporators for specific development works in their wards.

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“The corporators float requests to the Mayor for funds to carry out specific development works in their wards. Accordingly, the corporators make an estimate for several kinds of wards in the wards like improvement of slums, for example and then the corporation makes the final allocation for it. The final allocation of the funds is done through the leader of the house. As per the rules, the funds to the Mayor are also routed to them through the leader of the house,” Khankar told Express.

On April 30,after the initial disbursement of development funds was carried out by the BMC’s standing committee — the statutory body that looks after BMC’s financial moves — Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam had written to committee chairperson, Prabhakar Shinde stating that the disbursement was made disproportionately and will be returned back to the committee. In total, these six corporators had received Rs 33 crore, of which Rs 9 crore was allocated to ward number 68, while Rs 6 crore each was allocated to wards 65, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71.

“After receiving information an examination of the distributed funds were carried out by us where it was seen that the funds distributed to municipal wards 65, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71 were disproportionate in nature, therefore it has been directed to the standing committee to take back the allocated Rs 4 crore additional funds,” Satam’s letter had stated.

Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India. Expertise & Authority Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai. Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in: Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting. City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region. Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis: National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019. State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019. Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis. Experience Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies: Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014). Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express. Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More

Nayonika Bose is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau. While in the early stages of her career, her focused reporting on local governance and community welfare already demonstrates clear Expertise and Trustworthiness in covering essential civic issues impacting Mumbai's residents. Expertise & Authority (E-E-A-T) Specialized Focus: Nayonika's reporting is dedicated to civic and community issues, providing readers with highly relevant, ground-level information about the functionality and administration of India's largest metropolitan area. Core Coverage Areas: Her articles highlight a strong focus on the fundamental quality of life and public safety in Mumbai, including: Civic Infrastructure: Reports on critical failures and initiatives related to public works, such as the recurring problem of unauthorized building collapses in Navi Mumbai, the construction of new infrastructure projects (like the Dahisar-Bhayandar Link Road and the Mahalaxmi cable-stayed bridge), and the maintenance of essential city services (e.g., manhole cover theft). Urban Governance & Crisis Management: Provides detailed coverage of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) response to major crises, particularly during the monsoon (e.g., heavy rainfall, water cuts, and public health concerns like dengue and malaria) and large-scale public safety incidents (e.g., the hoarding collapse fallout). Community Welfare & Rights: Reports on key social issues, including the financial aid scheme for persons with disabilities, the struggles of Mumbai's hawkers protesting eviction drives, and the dangers faced by workers due to the continuation of manual scavenging in water tanks. Cultural & Heritage Reporting: Covers significant community stories, including the restoration of British-era fountains and the history of institutions like the 126-year-old Chinchpokli cemetery, showing a breadth of interest beyond pure administration. Tweets @nayonikakb ... Read More

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