Will BMC Get The Control Key?

While presenting the Rs 39,039 crore budget of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for 2021-22—the largest ever in the corporation’s history and 17 per cent higher than the previous year—on February 3, commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal brought up a longstanding demand of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

- Kiran D. Tare

He proposed that the state government appoint the BMC as the sole planning authority for Mumbai to speed up development of infrastructure in the metropolis. Thackeray, as Shiv Sena chief, had raised the demand way back in 2007 when his party was in opposition in the state assembly.

In the hands of multiple agencies, Mumbai’s development has been a complex affair. At present, at least five agencies of the state government and four of the Centre are involved in the city’s planning. According to the Greater Mumbai Draft Development Plan 2034, these agencies have a major say in eight prominent areas within the city limits. The MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) is designated as the special planning authority for the Backbay Reclamation Area, Wadala Truck Terminal, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Gorai-Uttan Tourism Zone and the area surrounding Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The MMRDA is also the nodal agency for key infrastructure projects, such as the Mumbai Metro, Mumbai Monorail, Mumbai Urban Transport Project and Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project.