3 min readMumbaiFeb 25, 2026 12:22 PM IST
First published on: Feb 25, 2026 at 12:22 PM IST
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) if officers of the “richest municipal corporation in Asia” were concerned about the citizens’ lives and queried if they would study how developed countries deal with various civic issues.
The HC said the civic body should depute experts to study and prepare comparative reports on such advanced civic systems.
A bench of Justices Girish S Kulkarni and Aarti A Sathe, while hearing a plea raising concerns over handling of waste at Kanjurmarg dumping site and poor odour in the vicinity, said that “other states are going far ahead”.
The judges said the civic body officers and experts can also visit Ahmedabad city in a “progressive state” of Gujarat to study the types of civic facilities.
The judges orally questioned why BMC and other authorities cannot give “advance intimation” through electronic systems/indicators or dedicated FM channels to alert citizens on issues, including flooding, traffic jams, as 4-5 kilometres long queues of vehicles are seen after mishaps.
Justice Kulkarni orally remarked, “For example, if you start from Fort area (in South Mumbai) and after you cross J J Hospital/bridge, there is a very heavy rainfall, and you come to know all the roads are closed. The indication/intimation should come when you are in the Fort area. Everyone’s time is important. Or if you are on Coastal Road, and if there is any mishap, then there is a long line of vehicles of 4 kilometres. But you will not be told (in advance). You will be required to wait at the toll booth in Worli. There are hundreds of cars (stuck). This is because you (authorities) do not want to implement any electronic system (for alerts). And then you go and see developed countries…”
The judge said that senior citizens and other people with ailments cannot be asked to sit in a car for long hours. “No Commissioner has applied mind. During the 2005 floods, it was like when Rome was burning, Nero was fiddling, and all the FM channels were playing cinema music. We suffered for two days. You (civic authorities) are least bothered,” the judge added.
Justice Kulkarni also referred to recent traffic snarls at the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and said indicators could have been put up at Panvel to ensure other people do not take the Expressway. “Your interest is only in awarding huge toll contracts…thousands of crores will come in cash from all these tolls. But we will not do anything for the common man. This is the approach. We (Mumbai) can be pioneers,” Justice Kulkarni said.
Justice Sathe also said that the authorities should “envisage (plan) for the future” like developed countries like Singapore, instead of merely focusing on finding solutions after problems arise.
The Bombay High Court asked BMC to depute experts to study how developed countries deal with various civic issues and prepare comparative reports on such advanced civic systems. 
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