Mumbai civic body spends over ₹3,000 crore on Covid-19 in 18 months

In over 18 months, the Mumbai civic body has spent over ₹3,000 crore on handling Covid-19, according to the data provided by the civic body

In over 18 months, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has spent over ₹3,000 crore on handling Covid-19, according to the data provided by the civic body.

The Mumbai civic body has spent over ₹1,219 crore in the ongoing fiscal, over ₹1,809 crore in 2020-21 and more than ₹9.18 crore in 2019-20. The expenditure mainly comprises setting up of healthcare infrastructure like increasing bed capacity, coming up with makeshift Covid hospitals, procuring medications used for treating Covid-19, etc. (HT PHOTO)

The BMC has spent over ₹1,219 crore in the ongoing fiscal, over ₹1,809 crore in 2020-21 and more than ₹9.18 crore in 2019-20. The expenditure mainly comprises setting up of healthcare infrastructure like increasing bed capacity, coming up with makeshift Covid hospitals, procuring medications used for treating Covid-19, etc.

According to BMC officials, in 2020-21 the BMC’s expenditure was towards enhancing healthcare in the form of jumbo bed facilities, setting up new Covid care centres, followed by expenditure towards hotel bills for the accommodation of frontline staff, along with recruiting new staff on contract basis.

Further, the money had to be spent on medical equipment such as personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, N95 masks, three ply masks, gloves, face shields, hydroxychloroquine, thermometers, body-bags, protective eye-wear, sanitisers etc., followed by purchasing of life-saving injections, including remdesivir and tocilizumab.

In the ongoing fiscal, the BMC has spent over ₹1,200 crore on Covid-19, which includes cost towards regular purchase of drugs and maintenance of Covid facilities and partially on handling of the second wave. The expenditure of at least ₹500 crore is expected for setting up oxygen plants in the city, along with oxygen refilling plants. The BMC has plans to set up 16 oxygen plants at 12 civic hospitals in the city along with setting up an oxygen refilling plant in Mahul.

Further, for handling the much anticipated third wave, the civic body has also set up around half a dozen makeshift hospitals that have been kept on standby for now. These hospitals will be activated when the need arrives, said BMC officials.

The BMC in the 2020-2021 budget, had set aside ₹2 crore for fighting Covid-19 and later had spent money from the contingency funds. However, in the ongoing fiscal, the amount is being spent from the health budget. The BMC had allocated ₹4,728.53 crore, 12% of budget, to the health sector in the ongoing financial year.

However, corporators across party lines have questioned the BMC over expenditure on Covid-19. Ravi Raja, Congress corporator and leader of Opposition in the BMC said, “We have been demanding a white paper on the Covid expenditure by the civic body since long, but the administration has not made it available to us. We do not know where and how the public money is being spent.”

Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party corporator and MLA from Bhiwandi said, “This is one of the biggest scams in the BMC. We need the BMC to table a white paper on the expenditure of the BMC due to Covid-19.

Meanwhile, the BJP has claimed that the expenditure on Covid-19 is much more than what the BMC has been claiming. Vinod Mishra, BJP corporator and party leader in the BMC said, “There is no proper spending happening on expenses relating to Covid-19 and they have spent much more than required. To clear all doubts, the BMC should come out with a white paper on the expenditure.”