BMC budget focuses on infrastructure projects

Has 10 per cent more outlay

Civic chief Ajoy Mehta on Wednesday presented the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation budget for the fiscal year 2016-17. This will be the last BMC budget before the civic elections in February next year.

Mr Mehta’s budget had an outlay of Rs 37,052 crore, about 10 per cent more than last year’s Rs 33,514.15-crore plan — a feat that needed a good deal of tightrope walking. Along with giving precedence to ongoing infrastructure projects, he has refrained from levying any new taxes on Mumbaikars as was expected in the pre-election budget. Predictably, there are ample sops doled out to the poor.

In order to provide facilities for the urban poor and improve the existing amenities and services, the civic chief has made a substantial provision of Rs 9,187.95 crore, which is a rise of eight per cent when compared to last year’s funds of Rs 8538.91 crore. In this, the provision for slum sanitation, which was a mere Rs 10 crore last year, has been hiked by ten times to Rs 100 crore. “We want to improve the living standards in slums and hence a lot of funds have been provided for this task,” said Mr Mehta.

Among the infrastructure projects, Mumbai’s Coastal Road managed to attract the maximum funds. Giving a clear indication that the project would be expedited, the budget made a provision of Rs 1,000 crore.

“If all clearances are in place, the work on Mumbai’s Coastal Road will start by October 2016. The tenders for this project will be invited soon. We want to complete this project at the earliest,” said additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee.

The budget has also tried to address the issue of garbage disposal that is plaguing the city currently. The civic body has proposed mega waste-processing projects. In addition to this, facilities like a retaining wall, lights, CCTV cameras, proper approach roads, increase in security will also be provided at the dumping grounds in Deonar and Mulund.

Keeping in mind the deaths of the fire officials last year, the budget has earmarked Rs 323 crore for upgrading the Mumbai fire brigade. With the row over new open spaces still continuing, Rs 312 crore has been provided for the development of gardens and grounds.

The Centre’s Smart City project and replacing of the city’s streetlights with LED lights have been allotted Rs 10 crore each. “Though Mumbai has missed the first list of the Smart City projects, we are hopeful that it will soon make the grade and we need to be prepared for that,” said Mr Mehta.

With the octroi revenues hit by the plummeting prices of crude oil, the BMC has proposed to increase the octroi rate on oil from 3 per cent to 4.5 per cent. It will fetch an additional revenue of Rs 500 crore, said civic officials.

Apart from the Brimstowad project works (Rs 765.57 crore), the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, which involves construction of community toilets and pay-and-use toilets has been given priority.