After nearly four years under the administrator’s rule, elected corporations will return to Mumbai’s planning table on January 31, taking charge of key development projects, from flood management to large-scale water augmentation and desalination initiatives.
Since the civic body was dissolved in March 2022, the municipal commissioner has overseen policy decisions and project execution. He The return of corporations marks a setback. to a more localized approach, where each is allocated Rs 1.6 million a year to address hyper-local issues such as water supply, sanitation, beautification and greening, while proposing larger infrastructure projects such as new bridges or water pipelines.
With the new body set to be sworn in next week, these ongoing major infrastructure projects are likely to remain top priorities for the new house.
Concretization project
With almost 40 percent progress so far, the concretization project that seeks to make Bombay features prominently in the alliance’s manifesto floated before civic polls. It was in 2022 when the former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a mega realization plan with the aim of making Mumbai pothole-free. Over the next two years, the BMC floated awarded tenders worth Rs. 17,000 crore project to concrete 700 km of roads (or 2,121 roads) across the city, with 320 km (700 roads) planned to be concreted in phase I and 378 km (1,421 roads) proposed to be paved with concrete in phase II. Mumbai has a road network of 2,050 km, of which 1,333 km are already completed.
Of the remaining 2,121 roads occupied under the Rs. 17,000 crore plan, 815 or 38.28 percent of the total roads have been completed so far, while civil works are being carried out on 625 roads, which is 29.46 percent of the total roads.
Although the plan had drawn criticism from different quarters for causing inconvenience to citizens due to frequent excavation of roads, the plan is here to stay. To address concerns related to regular excavation for utility maintenance, the party also proposed a plan to build utility tunnels throughout the city.
Improve flood resilience
Under the BJP’s development vision, plans to make Mumbai “flood-free” are likely to attract key attention in the coming years. Through Japan-based technology developed by IIT and VJTI institutes, the government has envisaged plans to make Mumbai flood-free within the next five years by exploring and implementing schemes for rainwater harvesting and its percolation through the soil.
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A senior party leader said plans are also afoot to formulate a study group comprising former BMC officials and IIT experts to study the city’s topography and rainfall intensity. Based on the report, the research group will also be tasked with identifying solutions for flooding.
Meanwhile, plans will also be drawn up to upgrade the city’s aging stormwater drainage as well as undertake pending works at BRIMSTOWAD-2.
Gargai Dam and Desalination Plant: Improving Water Supply
With water remaining a key concern in several sectors, finding solutions to improve water supply is likely to be high on the civic house agenda list. In its development vision, the Mahayuti alliance has said that with an aim to upgrade the city’s current water supply capacity from 3,800 MLD to 4,700 MLD, Gargai, Pinjal and other new dams will be completed in the next five years, along with the construction of a desalination plant at Gorai.
Boosting water supply is an issue that resonates across parties.
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In its manifesto, the Congress Party also emphasized plans to support the Gargai dams, while the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS manifesto points to building a desalination plan.
BMC officials agreed that the ongoing desalination plans as well as the Gargai dam projects will get a key boost in the coming years. Currently, the civic body has already started work to develop two 200 MLD desalination plants in Mumbai. While the first desalination plant was proposed to be set up in 2019 on a 12-hectare land plot in Manori, a second desalination plant is planned to be set up in Versova on a 7-hectare land plot. The proposal for a second desalination plan was submitted in August 2025. Meanwhile, Rs. A Rs 3,000-crore tender was floated in December 2025 for the construction of Gargai Dam.
Drive for the BEST
In addition to focusing on the development of new infrastructure, the Mahayuti manifesto has placed key emphasis on scaling up public transport services like the BEST. The party has proposed a fare cut of up to 50 per cent for women traveling on BEST buses, while also seeking to increase the total bus fleet from 5,000 to 10,000 to reduce overcrowding.
The BEST, which has been stagnant due to fleet depletion and increasing financial strains in recent years, is likely to see several breakthroughs with the constitution of the BEST committee. The BEST committee is among the four main statutory committees of BMC, which is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the transport body. It has 17 members and is likely to resume discussions in the second week of February.
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Boost for pedestrian infrastructure and street vendor policy
While big projects will attract attention, corporates of all parties have emphasized the need to improve trail infrastructure, which has become one of the biggest problems for citizens. The government has proposed the development of footpaths using concrete blocks to ensure a smooth walking experience for pedestrians. For the record, the civic body in its fiscal year 2025-2026 budget has made an allocation of Rs. 100 crores under its ‘Pedestrian First’ scheme.
To ensure clear pathways, the Mahayuti alliance has also proposed to expedite the hawker policy whereby all registered hawkers will be rehabilitated in specific hawker zones.