Despite COVID-19 pandemic halt, BMC spent heavily on roads and bridges

Figures show the civic body spent more this fiscal year compared to the last on several projects, while budget cuts deferred other works; in total the capital expenditure remained almost the same both years

Mumbai: Despite COVID-19 pandemic halt, BMC spent heavily on roads and bridges

A civic worker conducts an antigen test at Dadar station on Dec 17. A total of Rs 1,600 crore was spent in the management of the pandemic. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Despite the pandemic bringing the city to a halt and the subsequent financial crunch, the BMC has spent 39 per cent of the estimated capital expenditure in the 2020-2021 budget, which officials said was close to the amount spent in the last financial year.

The civic body spent Rs 5,744 crore on various capital expenses till December end, nearly the same amount of Rs 5,865 crore it spent last fiscal year during the same period. The estimated capital expenditure in the 2020-2021 budget was Rs 14,637 crore.

The BMC has spent heavily on projects relating to roads, bridges and the Coastal Road project. While the Roads Department spent Rs 931 crore till December end, against the Rs 773 crore last fiscal, the Bridges Department managed to complete work worth Rs 441 crore against Rs 333 crore in fiscal year 2019-2020. On the Coastal Road project, the BMC spent Rs 1,189 crore this financial year, way more than the FY20 when the expenditure was just Rs 349 crore.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BMC spent more on hospitals and health infrastructure in FY21 in comparison to FY20. About Rs 81.9 crore was spent on various works in major hospitals against Rs 78 crore in FY20. About '75 crore was spent on peripheral hospitals, less than Rs 56 crore in FY20.

A total of Rs 1,600 crore was spent in the management of the pandemic which hit the city in March. Civic officials said the departments and the regular work of the civic body did not suffer. Departments such as Storm Water Drains, Gardens and Water that did not spend much this fiscal year, thanks to a budget cut of around 20 per cent, said sources.

The BMC has spent about Rs 13,000 crore of the revenue expenditure out of the Rs 1,8796 crore. Officials said the revenue expenditure is more than last year’s as the BMC took money for COVID-19 expenditure from here.

Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velarasu said, “We have allotted a required amount of funds for capital works that were demanded and even if the 20 per cent cut was made, the regular, planned work did not suffer much and the expenditure is as much as last year’s.”

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