Despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) unveiling its highest-ever budget of Rs. 75,000 crores for 2025-26, the real test for the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government lies in execution. The city’s infrastructure remains creaky, and unless these ambitious projects translate into tangible improvements, Mumbai risks yet another cycle of grand promises with little to show for it.
This budget, submitted for the third consecutive year under an administrator rather than an elected body, is clearly aimed at the impending BMC elections. While politically motivated, it does introduce some notable measures. Impressively, no new taxes have been proposed, despite the scale of projects envisioned. The civic body has earmarked Rs. 43,162 crores for capital expenditure - accounting for over half the budget - signalling a push for much-needed infrastructure development. However, familiar challenges remain: Mumbai’s overburdened transport, waste management and sewage systems have long suffered from slow-moving projects, bureaucratic bottlenecks and rampant inefficiency.
The marquee projects in the budget include the Rs. 5,545 crores allocated for the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project, which aims to construct seven Sewage Treatment Plants. These facilities, set to become operational in phases between 2026 and 2028, could significantly improve Mumbai’s waste management. However, previous projects of similar scale have often faced delays and cost overruns. The near-complete Mumbai Coastal Road, a rare success story, offers hope, but other big-ticket items like the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road and Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road remain in early stages.
The budget proposes to revive the long-stalled Mumbai Eye, a Ferris wheel modelled after the London Eye, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Despite past failures due to feasibility issues and environmental opposition, especially from Bandra Reclamation residents, the BMC’s latest push seems more like an election stunt than a serious development plan. One of the budget’s most crucial allocations is for the city’s water supply. The long-delayed Gargai Dam project, stalled since 2019 due to environmental concerns, has been revived with an allocation of Rs. 36 crores. The project aims to improve Mumbai’s precarious water supply. However, given the ecological implications which require the felling of 4.5 lakh trees, the government must tread carefully.
Healthcare funding has been boosted to Rs. 7,380 crore, a 13.95 percent increase, with notable expansion of the Aapla Dawakhana initiative, which has served 90 lakh patients. However, like infrastructure projects, the success of these schemes depends on execution, as the city’s public health sector has struggled with inefficiencies and inadequate facilities despite previous budget increases. The Mahayuti government has no shortage of plans, but Mumbai’s history is littered with projects that never materialized or were delivered half-baked. Without strict execution, monitoring and accountability, this record-breaking budget will remain just another grand announcement. Mumbai deserves better than just promises - it needs action.
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