In the absence of BMC, civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal says he will approve all proposals

I S Chahal, BMC commissioner and administrator

Even as a month has passed since the term of the BMC ended and the civic commissioner was appointed as the administrator with the power to approve projects, no big-buck projects have been cleared so far. So far only nullah cleaning and trench work projects, which were urgent for pre-monsoon preparation, have been cleared following severe criticism and agitation. Amid discussions in the administration about panels being set up to look into big proposals, the commissioner has finally issued a circular on April 7, stating that all proposals should be addressed to the administrator himself.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has allotted Rs 22,646 crore for various projects and infrastructure work in 2022-23. Before the term of the BMC ended on March 7, proposals were approved by corporators in various statutory committees such as the standing committee, improvement committee, etc. The civic body gets around 300 to 400 proposals each month on an average.

However, 123 proposals were found pending on March 8, of which 60 were tabled in the last meeting on March 7 and 55 were from the meeting of March 2. Of these, 21 proposals, worth Rs 545 crore, including six proposals of nullah cleaning worth Rs 162 crore and trenches work worth Rs 383 crore, were approved by the administrator last week.

Municipal Commissioner and administrator I S Chahal said, "More than 50 pending proposals have been cleared. Relevant proposals will get clearance and budget expenditure will be 100 per cent at the end of the year. There is no need for a panel to clear the proposals as of now." "Few of the proposals were cleared, but the remaining proposals have to be sent again to the administrator," said a senior civic official.

Rs 22,644 cr
BMC budget for various projects and infra work in 2022-23