9 BMC ward officers issued notices for irregularities in road-widening scheme

BMC issues notices to ward officers over alleged misuse of road-widening regulation, highlighting concerns of corruption and improper implementation.

MUMBAI: In the wake of serious allegations surrounding the misuse of a key development control regulation (DCR) related to road-widening, the BMC has issued notices to all ward officers in the island city.

9 BMC ward officers issued notices for irregularities in road-widening scheme

Nine assistant commissioners, from Wards A (Colaba) to F South (Parel), have been asked to submit detailed records on the implementation of Regulation 33(12)(B) under the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 2034. HT is in possession of the notice issued by Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner (city) on October 7, one day after HT reported the allegations.

The internal BMC report raised concerns on how the bottleneck removal policy—meant to streamline the road-widening scheme and rehabilitate displaced residents—is being arbitrarily and selectively applied. According to this, instead of prioritising three roads at a time as outlined in a 2023 circular, ward officials have been drawing up multiple road-widening lists simultaneously. This has resulted in incomplete demolitions and unfinished roads, thereby undermining the policy’s core objective of clearing bottlenecks.

More pertinently, the BMC report focuses on the alleged corruption happening under the scheme. Provision 33(12)(B) of the DCPR allows developers to remove encroachments on roads in return for additional FSI but mandates that project-affected persons (PAPs) be provided rehabilitation within the same ward. Allegations have surfaced that some developers, in collusion with ward officials, have manipulated the scheme to secure benefits for ineligible individuals while genuine PAPs have been left out.

Joshi, in her note, has directed the island city wards to submit specific details, including the number of structures surveyed under the scheme, the issuance of Annexure-2 documents, the status of demolition notices and data on how many PAPs have been successfully relocated. Departments are also required to submit photographic evidence of the sites, with the images accompanied by accurate geolocation data to facilitate verification.

RTI activist and whistleblower Santosh Daundkar, who first flagged the irregularities in 2023, said that there appeared to be a serious corruption issue involving the implementation of DVR 33(12B). “Under these schemes, developers are acquiring structures from eligible individuals at very low prices, often by obtaining affidavits from them,” he said. “In many cases, these individuals are not provided with rehabilitation flats as promised. Instead, the developers sell the flats at ready reckoner rates, earning significant profits.”

Daundkar elaborated that this malpractice seemed to be part of a larger conspiracy involving the developer, ward officer and road engineer. “Multiple such cases have come to light, particularly in the G South and F South wards,” he said. “In addition, several PAPs seem to have already availed of benefits under other government schemes. Local ward offices rely on outdated records and use them to grant benefits again under the 33(12) schemes, often without proper verification. Sometimes, this is done to fraudulently take advantage of the scheme’s provisions.

“The misuse of 33(12)(A) and 33(12)(B) constitutes a serious offence,” Daundkar emphasised. “There should be a formal inquiry against the developers and BMC officers involved, and the registration of criminal proceedings against offenders.”