MLA calls for scrapping of BMC’s ₹150 cr tunnel laundry project in Mulund

A call to cancel the BMC’s ₹150 crore tunnel laundry project, slated for a prime plot on LBS Marg in Mulund, was made in the legislative assembly on Tuesday. MLA Mihir Kotecha raised concerns, asserting that Mulund residents would oppose the project.

MUMBAI: A call to cancel the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) ₹150 crore tunnel laundry project, slated for a prime plot on LBS Marg in Mulund, was made in the legislative assembly on Tuesday. MLA Mihir Kotecha raised concerns, asserting that Mulund residents would oppose the project due to its potential negative impact on their well-being as it would be used to wash garments from BMC hospitals, including clothes worn by patients and staff, as well as bed linens.

MLA calls for scrapping of BMC’s ₹150 cr tunnel laundry project in Mulund

The MLA argued that this would negatively affect the environment and pollute the air in an area choked with high-rises. He categorically stated, “We, the residents of Mulund, will not allow this to happen. Therefore, I demand the cancellation of this tunnel laundry project.”

The tunnel laundry was originally proposed by BMC in 2022 at Sewri TB Hospital. However, the ₹160 crore project was scrapped after allegations of cost inflation, bid manipulation, and cartelisation surfaced.

Concerns were raised about the project tenders, and Kotecha, along with BJP MLA Ameet Satam, accused the BMC of rigging the bids and selecting a Borivali-based departmental store with no experience in large-scale laundry operations to handle the project. The BMC had invited tenders for the establishment and operation of a tunnel laundry capable of washing 40,000 garments, including those from municipal hospitals across Mumbai.

Currently, the BMC uses a laundry facility in Bhoiwada to process around 16,000 garments daily. While a budgetary provision has been made this year for the tunnel laundry project, the BMC is yet to invite tenders. Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects), was unavailable for comment.