BMC to set up four committees to overlook development works

Mumbai To maintain transparency in financial dealings and ensure smooth administration of the civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to set up four committees to overlook and approve civic proposals in the absence of statutory committee.

The tenure of the municipal corporators elected in the 2017 civic elections, including the Mayor, came to an end on March 8. Therefore, all the statutory committees like the standing committee, improvements committee, works committee and health committee were dissolved.

Usually, proposals related to development works of the city were first tabled before the committees for approval. Post approval, the administration would issue work orders.

The state government has already appointed municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal as the administrator in the BMC. Senior officials said that the new proposed committees will be similar to the dissolved ones. These committees will be represented by senior civic officials of additional municipal commissioner, joint municipal commissioner and deputy municipal commissioner and will be under the chairmanship of municipal commissioner.

“The primary objective of these committees will be to analyse and scrutinise the civic proposals for development works. The committee will study and discuss the proposals that will be tabled and then will send them for final clearance to the commissioner as the power of final approval is with the administrator. In case there are certain points that need to be amended, then the committee will refer it back to the concerned department,” an official said.

Furthermore, the official said that specialised officers from health, infrastructure, education, BEST, architecture, revenue and law will be part of these committees and share their expertise.

“The process of formation of these committees is underway and is expected to come into force in the next financial year. These committees will overlook all the proposed projects in the next financial year,” the official said.

Meanwhile, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, Yogesh Sagar, has written to the municipal commissioner urging him to share all the proposals in the public domain before issuing work orders to ensure full transparency.

“Elected public representatives play a key role in the smooth running of the civic body. Now that their tenure is over and the next election is yet to take place, the administration can make all the documents public before issuing work orders to the contractors. This way, the citizens of Mumbai will be aware of where their money is going and can also share their own suggestions and objections with the civic administration,” said Sagar.

When contacted by HT, municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal was unavailable for comments.