Rs 120 crore spent, BMC HQ sees leaks

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been restoring the civic headquarters at the cost of Rs120 crore, but leakage problems continue to plague mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar’s office, raising question marks over the efficacy of the restoration.

According to civic officials, the leakage started in the middle of an important meeting that was attended by the mayor and other top civic officials on Thursday. As the leakage was quite heavy, it led to panic among the mayor’s office staff. Apart from using buckets to prevent water from ruining the floor, they immediately summoned civic maintenance department officials to fix the problem. However, all their efforts were in vain.

According to sources, this was not the first time the civic headquarters has experienced such problems. A few days ago, on March 8, during the mayoral election, there was a similar scene in the standing committee chairman’s office, where the AC unit was seen leaking heavily. “What is the use of spending crore of rupees, if there is a leakage in the AC units? The civic administration should look into the matter seriously,” said Mr Mahadeshwar.

“We have asked the chief engineer and maintenance department officials to look into the matter. The problem will be fixed soon,” said a senior civic official.

The mayor’s office, which is situated on the first floor of its main heritage building, has often experienced leakage problems, especially during the monsoon. In June 2011, it was flooded due to a leaking roof on the first floor.

The civic body has decided to restore 133-year-old structure, which was built in the Gothic style in 1884. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 80 crore, when the work had begun in 2008. However, due to a delay, it has already reached to Rs 120 crore. The project involves the restoration of interiors and the exteriors, from the roof tiles to the Minton tiles inside, from strengthening several wooden beams to stained glass work.