BMC’s poll year budget: Major chunk to infra projects, no new taxes

The budget, approximately ₹27,000 crore (similar to 2018-19) will be presented before the civic body’s standing committee in the first week of February.

When the Mumbai civic body budget for 2019-20 is presented in February, the focus will be on big-ticket infrastructure projects such as the coastal road, putting in place measures to reduce flooding during the monsoon and the implementation of the Development Plan (DP) 2034, a senior civic official privy to the budget document said. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is unlikely to levy any new taxes in its budget, that will be presented just months before the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.

Bombay Municipal corporation headquarters in Mumbai. (HT File)

The budget, approximately ₹27,000 crore (similar to 2018-19) will be presented before the civic body’s standing committee in the first week of February. “The budget has been drafted keeping long-term infrastructure growth in mind,” the official said. “This year, BMC plans to move from a budget focussing on revenue generation to one that prioritises infrastructure growth. The budget will provide fillip to infrastructure and civic amenities that will be completed in the next four or five years,” the official said.

Like last year, the largest allocations will go to big-ticket projects such the coastal road, the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR), sewage treatment plants, augmentation of storm water drains, waste to energy plant at Deonar, and improving the fire brigade’s firefighting infrastructure. For another consecutive year, the BMC will dip into its fixed deposits to support these massive allocations.

An officer said, “The coastal road and GMLR will receive the biggest share. The coastal road has a deadline in the next four years, so 25% of the burden of its cost falls on this budget. To support this, the BMC must dip into its reserves.”

The budget will also see allocations for flood mitigation measures at 225 chronic flooding spots identified by the civic body, based on the severity of flooding during the monsoon. BMC will also combine the implementation of the DP with the budget for the second year in a row. The DP got its final nod from the state government in May 2018. Integrating it with the budget is expected to improve its implementation. “Last year, the BMC began acquiring land with reservations for civic amenities, which will continue this year as well,” an officer said.