MUMBAI, 4 FEBRUARY, 2025 (GPN): The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) presented its budget for the financial year 2025-26 with an estimated outlay of Rs. 74,427.41 crore — a 14.19% increase from the previous year. For the third consecutive year, the budget was presented to an administrator and not to a standing committee.This was the first budget under municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani.

Mr. Gagrani did not announce any new taxes on Tuesday. The corporation is, however, seeking legal opinion to introduce Solid Waste Management (SWM) user charges. A decision to amend SWM Sanitation and Cleanliness Byelaws, 2006 will be taken after the receipt of the legal opinion.

The budget document projected a revenue from water and sewerage charges for 2025-26 at Rs. 2,363.15 crore. The last budget had estimated receipts of Rs. 1,923.19 crore in its initial budget proposal for 2024-25, which were revised upwards to Rs. 2131.98crore.

The term of corporators expired in March 2022 and the elections are due since then. The Budget primarily focussed on ongoing infrastructure projects, environmental initiatives, and cyber awareness programs for students while maintaining financial discipline by controlling revenue expenditure.

The budget document underlined the need for BMC to start the process of restructuring its financial resources and explore new avenues for income. “Ensuring financial stability without compromising on city’s development is our foremost priority, so that sufficient funds will be available in future for development works,” it said.

It also underscored that the BMC’s revenue income has peaked, necessitating steps to generate additional revenue from existing sources and to identify innovative sources of additional revenue.

As a long term strategy, BMC’s revenue will be enhanced by revising various fees and charges levied by various departments. The measures undertaken by BMC included a request to the state government to share the premium for additional FSI (Floor Space Index) between state government and BMC on a 25:75 ratio.

The October 14, 2024, notification of the state government sanctioned 50% share of premium recovered for additional FSI to BMC as against earlier permissible 25% share.

A key highlight of this budget is the emphasis on enhancing Mumbai’s educational landscape. The BMC has allocated Rs 3,955.64 crore towards education, marking an increase of around Rs 630 crore compared to last year’s revised estimate of Rs 3,321.55 crore.

One of the major initiatives introduced in the budget is ‘Mission SAMPURN’ (School Infrastructure, Admission, Merit, Productivity, Universalisation, Responsibility, Nutrition, and Health), which will be implemented from the academic year 2025-26.

The mission aims to ensure the holistic development of students by focusing on infrastructure upgrades, improving admission processes, academic excellence, and student well-being.

In an effort to improve student nutrition, the education department plans to launch the ‘Purak Poshan Aahar’ scheme. Under this initiative, supplementary nutrition will be provided alongside the existing mid-day meal programme for students from nursery to Class 10 in BMC-run schools. This move is aimed at supporting the physical development of students, ensuring they receive adequate nourishment during their formative years.

Further, the BMC plans to establish Science Parks in two school buildings on a pilot basis to promote hands-on learning in scientific subjects. Recognising the growing importance of language skills, dedicated English Language Labs will also be introduced in schools, complementing the existing facilities such as computer labs, e-libraries, and educational tablets. The budget also includes provisions to enhance digital literacy among students.

A new Cyber Literacy project will be rolled out to educate students about safe internet usage, helping them avoid online fraud and navigate the digital space responsibly for academic and personal growth.

The BMC has made substantial allocations for Key Infrastructure Projects.BMC is also working on a centralised property information system being developed to consolidate all records of BMC owned assets and facilitate their development models. This includes utilising municipal plots under public, private partnership model for efficient revenue generation, to be complemented by modernisation and integration of property management through digitisation of records, and integration with GIS system, enabling real time access. Auctions of plots on lease will be held.

The Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project (MSDP) has received the highest allocation of Rs 5,545 crore. This will fund the construction of seven sewage treatment plants, scheduled to become operational in phases between 2026 and 2028.

The Mumbai Coastal Road Project (Phase 2), which will connect Versova to Dahisar, has been allotted Rs 4,000 crore. Additionally, Rs 1,516 crore has been set aside for the completion and maintenance of the south section of the coastal road, which became operational in March 2024.

The Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), a critical east-west corridor expected to reduce travel time significantly, has received Rs 1,958 crore. The 12-kilometre stretch will cut the travel time between the Western Express Highway and Mulund from 75-90 minutes to just 25 minutes and is expected to be operational by 2028.

On the revenue front, BMC plans to tap new sources of income by assessing commercial units in slum areas for property tax, expected to generate Rs 350 crore. The civic body will also introduce Solid Waste Management (SWM) user charges to improve waste management services, pending legal consultations to amend the SWM Sanitation and Cleanliness By-Laws of 2006.The civic body will pursue the state government to levy entertainment tax.