Guardian ministers okay disbursal, ask them, not me: Chahal

Days after an investigation by The Indian Express revealed that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) disbursed an aggregate of Rs 500 crore to 21 MLAs of ruling alliance in Mumbai between February and December 2023 under a February 2023 policy, and no money was allocated to the 15 MLAs belonging to the opposition parties, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Friday said that one needs to ask Mumbai’s Guardian ministers whether the recommendation of funds was based on political affiliation.

Stating that the funds under the February 2023 policy are disbursed by BMC only after a recommendation by the Guardian ministers, Chahal said, “Since there is no elected body in Mumbai, we framed a policy under which we have been disbursing funds to MLAs on the recommendation of the Guardian ministers. This policy states that if there is any written proposal for giving funds to any MLA from the Guardian minister’s office then the administrator shall disburse that fund. Therefore, any question on whether dusbursal of funds to MLAs was based on their political affiliation, needs to be asked to the Guardian minister and not to me.” Chahal was speaking to the media after announcing the BMC Budget 2024-25.

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When The Indian Express contacted Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Guardian minister of Mumbai suburbs, for his comment on the BMC Commissioner’s statement, he said, “I don’t want comment.”

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Despite repeated attempts, Deepak Kesarkar, Guardian minister of Mumbai City, could not be contacted.

On January 31 and February 1, The Indian Express published a two-part investigative report that revealed a disparity in Mumbai’s civic infrastructure development funding. BMC’s official records received under RTI showed that under a February 2023 policy that allows MLAs to seek funds from the BMC for civic works, each of the ruling alliance MLAs sought, and promptly got, funds till December 2023.

In the absence of elected corporators, for the second year in a row, BMC has set up a provision to disburse funds to MLAs, MPs and MLCs to carry out civic infrastructure works in Mumbai.