Crores of BMC funds spent on SoBo slum but no improvement is visible

The civic body claimed to have spent crores of rupees on toilets, pathways and drains on lanes that were barely 3-ft wide

- iinah Baliga

South Mumbai's affluent A Ward is once again under scrutiny over serious allegations of financial fraud and faking works in a slum improvement project funded by the BMC.

The controversy centres around claims of purchase orders issued in some places but due to alleged misappropriation of funds meant for slum improvement, no works were done in many locations, particularly in the ‘Ambedkar Nagar slum located in Cuffe Parade, now comprising over 7,000 tenements.

Under the BMC’s beautification and slum improvement programme, purchase orders totalling ₹11.58 crore were issued between 2023 and 2025 in Ambedkar Nagar alone. Additional expenditure included ₹4 crore for Geeta Nagar starting February 2024 and ₹8 crore for Ganesh Murti Nagar, also within the same timeframe.

However, onsite visits revealed a stark mismatch between official records and ground realities, with many of the claimed projects either incomplete or entirely absent.