Mumbai News Highlights: ‘Contractors get free run to loot city,’ says Opposition MVA after Mahayuti calls BMC Budget 2025-26 ‘progressive’

NCP minister Dhananjay Munde remains absent from CM Devendra Fadnavis' tour to Ashti in Beed district. Munde's office informs that he has undergone an eye surgery in Mumbai and will not be in public function for next 4/5 days.

Munde is under scanner since the arrest of his close aide Walmik Karad in a case linked to the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Opposition has already raised the demand of his resignation for impartial inquiry of Karad. Apart from this, Munde is facing allegations of corruption during his tenure as the Agri minister of Maharashtra in the previous Mahayuti government.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the funds-starved Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) in its budget for the 2025-2026 financial year, pointing out that it has provided Rs 11,304.59 crore to the undertaking since 2012-13.

The BEST runs nearly 3,000 buses in Mumbai, catering to lakhs of commuters daily. According to the BMC, these financial provisions are part of ongoing efforts to modernise Mumbai’s transport infrastructure and improve the city’s public transportation system.

“…a total provision of ₹1,000 crore is proposed in 2025-26 as a grant to BEST undertaking considering its financial position,” the budget document stated. This grant will be utilised for infrastructure development, the purchase of new capital equipment, repayment of loans, and the procurement of buses on a wet lease basis. It will also cover pay revisions, day-to-day expenses, the ITMS (Intelligent Traffic Management System) project, Diwali bonuses for employees, and dues for pensioners and gratuity.

Amid concerns about rising cyber threats, scams, and online fraud, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced the introduction of a ‘Cyber Literacy’ programme in its civic schools from the academic year 2025-26. The initiative aims to promote responsible and safe internet usage among students, teaching them how to navigate the digital world cautiously. A budgetary allocation of Rs 23.6 crore has been set aside for this in the BMC’s annual budget.

While mega infrastructure projects got the lion's share of allocation in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Budget estimates for the 2025-26 fiscal year, the civic body is also keen on improving walkability and boosting recreational projects within its limits.

The BMC’s proposed 'Universal Footpath policy', which is to be implemented this year, will look at creating footpaths that are more pedestrian-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities. The budget estimate has allocated Rs 5,100 crore for the policy which is proposed to be executed by the roads and traffic department.

As part of recreational projects, the civic body has proposed to construct a 'Tiger Monument' inside the twin tunnels being erected as a part of the ongoing Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project. The 6.5-km tunnels, set to course beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National park (SGNP), will link Goregaon in the western suburbs to Mulund in the east. The project will be developed in collaboration with the state forest and tourist departments.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) proposed the construction of Mumbai Eye as part of its Budget presented on Tuesday. The proposal aims to create a major tourist attraction similar to the renowned London Eye, despite multiple unsuccessful attempts by various agencies over the past 15 years to establish a similar structure in Mumbai.

According to the BMC Budget 2025, the Mumbai Eye would be built under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model at a yet-to-be-determined location. Modelled after the London Eye — which is also known as the Millennium Wheel, a 135-metre (443-foot) ferris wheel located on the banks of the River Thames — Mumbai Eye would feature air-conditioned, sealed passenger capsules, each capable of holding 25 people. The wheel would rotate to provide an elevated view of the city. (Read More)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Tuesday announced a budget of Rs 74,427 crore for the financial year 2025-26 — exceeding last fiscal’s revised estimate of Rs 65,180 crore by 14.19 per cent.

This year’s budget was presented by Bhushan Gagrani, BMC Commissioner and state-appointed administrator, who took charge in March 2024. This was also the third consecutive year when the civic body’s budget was presented by the administrator, after the general body of elected representatives was dissolved in March 2022.

Of the total budget size, Rs 43,162 crore have been earmarked for capital expenditure, and Rs 31,204 crore have been set aside as revenue expenditure. For FY 2025-26, a lion’s share of funding has been allocated to enhance some of the key infrastructure projects meant to strengthen the city’s outlook.

BMC to set up Transferable Development Rights (TDR) trading system. State had earlier directed to establish a streamlined, transparent and efficient electronic platform, termed as “e-TDR System”, to ensure effective implementation of Development Plan and to provide clear information to landowners regarding the purchase of TDR.

The instruction was made following Dharavi redevelopment project which will generate TDR and BMC is expected to monitor the selling of TDR.

The proposed TDR Exchange will facilitate buying and selling of TDRs and manage financial transactions via a Nodal Bank. This initiative aims to boost transaction volume, thereby increasing TDR demand and improving the implementation of Development Plan.

The system will operate using commercial cloud platforms in compliance with industry standards approved by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), under the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. The implementation is expected to enhance transparency as well as municipal revenue.

There are around 2.50 lakh slums in Mumbai. At least 20% i.e. 50,000 slums are being used for commercial purposes such as small and large industries, shops, godowns, hotels, etc. As BMC provides infrastructure facilities to these establishments, therefore it has now assessed the slum areas and is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 350 crore out of it.

Tha BMC has also earmarked Rs 100 crore for constructing desalination plant - a project that was scrapped last year after the tender didn’t receive any takers.

In 2024-25, ward-level oral cancer screening by dentists began. To expand coverage in 2025-26, private sector involvement is being introduced. The Ward-wise Comprehensive Cancer Care Model will provide screening, diagnosis, referrals, counseling, and guidance for oral, breast, and cervical cancer. Monthly cancer screening clinics will be set up in each ward’s health center. Additionally, schoolgirls aged 9-14 will receive the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer as a primary initiative in 2025-26.

The BMC has also proposed a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, to develop an advanced air quality forecasting system. This system will provide early warnings up to 72 hours in advance by analyzing contributions from local, regional, and distant emission sources to particulate matter (PM) pollution in Mumbai. Additionally, it will offer potential emission reduction strategies, enabling the BMC to implement proactive measures for air pollution prevention and mitigation.

The BMC has allocated Rs. 5,100 crore in its budget estimates for the roads and traffic department.

While concretisation project accounts for a lion's share of the road department's estimates, the civic body has also proposed a new 'Universal Footpath policy' to enhance walkability in Mumbai.

After multiple unsuccessful attempts by agencies like MMRDA and MSRDC to build the Mumbai Eye, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now announced its intention to undertake the project. In its budget, the BMC has proposed constructing the ‘Mumbai Eye’—inspired by the ‘London Eye’—at a suitable location under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

The BMC has allocated major proportion of capital expenditure into infrastructure growth.

For FY 2025-26 an allocation of Rs 5,545 crore has been made for the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project (MSDP) under which BMC aims to construct seven STPs by 2028.

Rs 4,000 crore has been allocated to the bridges department which has taken up the second phase of Mumbai Coastal Road Project (Versova-Dahisar).

Rs 1,958 has been earmarked for the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) which is expected to be completed by 2028.

The BMC’s total revenue earned upto December, 2024 stand at Rs 28,308 crore, the civic authorities have estimated revenue earnings of Rs 40,693 crore by March 31, 2025. For FY 2025-26, the BMC has estimated revenue earnings upto Rs 43,159 crore.

Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set a budget estimate of Rs 74,427 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26, marking a 14.19% increase over the revised budget of Rs 65,180 crore for FY 2024-25. For the current fiscal year, the BMC has projected total revenue earnings of Rs 40,693 crore by March 31, 2025, with Rs 28,308 crore already earned as of December.