After nearly four years under administrator rule, elected corporators are set to return to Mumbai’s planning table on January 31, taking charge of key development projects from flood management to large-scale water augmentation and desalination initiatives.
Since the civic body dissolved in March 2022, the municipal commissioner has overseen policy decisions and project execution. The return of corporators marks a shift back to a more localised approach, with each allotted Rs 1.6 crore annually to tackle hyper-local issues like water supply, sanitation, beautification, and greening, while also proposing larger infrastructure projects such as new bridges or water pipelines.
With the new body set to be sworn in next week, these ongoing big ticket infrastructure projects are likely to remain the top priorities in the new house.
Concretisation project
Nearly 40 percent complete so far, the concretisation project which seeks to make Mumbai ranks high on the alliance’s manifesto floated ahead of the civic polls. It was in 2022 that the former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a mega concretisation plan with the aim to make Mumbai pothole free. Over the next two years, the BMC rolled out awarded tenders worth Rs. 17,000 crore project to concretise 700-km of roads (or 2,121 roads) across the city, with 320 km (700 roads) pegged to be concretised in phase I and 378 km(1421 roads) proposed to be paved in concrete in phase II. Mumbai has a road network of 2,050 km, of which 1,333 km roads are already concretised.
Of the remaining 2,121 roads taken up under the Rs. 17,000 crore plan, 815 or 38.28 per cent of the total roads have been completed so far, while civil work is in progress in 625 roads which accounts to 29.46 per cent of the total roads.
While the plan had drawn flak across quarters for inconveniencing citizens owing to frequent digging of roads, the plan is here to stay. In order to address concerns surrounding regular digging for utility maintenance, the party has also proposed a plan to construct utility tunnels throughout the city.
Improving flood resilience
According to the BJP’s development vision, plans to make Mumbai ‘flood-free’ are likely to draw key focus in the coming years. Through technology based in Japan and developed by IIT and VJTI institutes, the government has envisaged plans to make Mumbai flood-free within the next five years by exploring and implementing plans for rainwater harvesting and percolation of rainwater through the ground.
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A senior party leader said that plans are also underway to formulate a study group consisting of former BMC officials and IIT experts to study the city’s topography and rainfall intensity. On the basis of the report, the research group will also be appointed to identify solutions for flooding.
Meanwhile, plans will also be charted to improve the city’s aging storm water drainage as well as undertaking pending works in the BRIMSTOWAD-2.
Gargai dam and desalination plant: Improving water supply
With water woes remaining a key concern in several pockets, finding solutions to improve boost water supply is likely to find a key space on the civic house’s list of agendas. In its development vision, the Mahayuti alliance has said that with the aim of improving the city’s current water supply capacity from 3,800 MLD to 4,700 MLD, completion of Gargai, Pinjal and other new dams will be undertaken over the next five years, alongside construction of a desalination plant at Gorai.
Boosting water supply is an issue which resonates across party lines.
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In its manifesto, Congress party has also emphasised on plans to support Gargai dams while the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS manifesto points towards construction of a desalination plant.
Officials from BMC echoed that the ongoing desalination plant as well as the Gargai dam projects are set to see key push in the coming years. At present, the civic body has already initiated works to develop two 200 MLD desalination plants in Mumbai. While the first desalination plant was noted in 2019 is proposed to come up over a 12 hectares land parcel in Manori, a second desalination plant is pegged to come up in Versova over a 7 hectare land parcel. The proposal for a second desalination plant was floated in August 2025. Meanwhile, a Rs. 3,000 crore tender was floated for the Gargai dam construction in December 2025.
Boost to the BEST
Besides focusing on development of new infrastructure, the Mahayuti manifesto has laid key emphasis on augmentation of public transportations services like the BEST. The party has proposed a fare cut of upto 50 percent for women commuting in BEST buses while it also seeks to increase the total fleet of buses from 5,000 to 10,000 to reduce crowding.
The BEST, which has been in the doldrums owing to its depleting fleet and increasing financial strains in recent years, is likely to see several developments with the constitution of the BEST committee. The BEST committee is amongst the four major statutory committees of the BMC, which is responsible for overlooking daily operations of the transportation body. It has 17 members and is likely to resume its proceedings in the second week of February.
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Pedestrian infra boost and a hawkers policy
While big ticket projects will draw focus, corporators across party lines have emphasized on the need for improving footpath infrastructure, which has emerged as one of the biggest grouses for citizens. The government has proposed the development of footpaths using concrete blocks to ensure a smooth walking experience for pedestrians. For the record, the civic body in its FY 2025-2026 budget has made an allocation of Rs. 100 crore under its ‘Pedestrian First’ plan.
In order to ensure clear pathways, the Mahayuti alliance has also proposed fast-tracking the hawkers policy through which all registered street vendors will be rehabilitated in specified hawking zones.
