Mumbai, Feb 25 (AHN) Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Wednesday presented the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) budget for the fiscal year 2026-27, proposing a total outlay of Rs 80,952.56 crore. The budget gives a major push to infrastructure development and technological advancement.

This represents an 8.77 per cent increase over the previous year's budget of Rs 74,427.41 crore.

The budget marks a significant strategic shift toward long-term asset creation, with Capital Expenditure now accounting for 60 per cent of total spending, while Revenue Expenditure has been streamlined to 40 per cent.

Gagrani said that the budget is a "Strategic Framework" intended to balance fiscal prudence with a vision for a modern, inclusive Mumbai.

The budget has estimated revenue income at Rs 51,510.94 crore, a 19.35 per cent increase from the previous year’s estimates. The property tax is targeted at Rs 7,000 crore following the implementation of latest Capital Values based on the Stamp Duty Ready Reckoner and Development Plan fees and premiums to contribute Rs 12,050 crore to the municipal treasury.

Infrastructure development remains the budget's cornerstone, with several "prestigious projects" receiving massive allocations.

A combined provision of Rs 4,700 crore has been made for the Versova-to-Dahisar stretch and its final leg (Mumbai Coastal Road (North). For the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR), BMC has allocated Rs 2,650 crore.

The project, featuring a twin tunnel under Sanjay Gandhi National Park, aims to reduce travel time between the suburbs from 90 to 20 minutes.

For Sewage Disposal, an allocation of Rs 5,690 crore has been made for seven treatment facilities and for cement concretisation the civic body has proposed Rs 5,520.48 crore earmarked for Phase-I and II of the city's mega road concretisation project.

As far as Health and Education initiatives are concerned, BMC is progressing with major hospital redevelopments, including Sion Hospital (Phase I & II), M.T. Agarwal Hospital, and a new Multi-Specialty Hospital at Bhandup.

Building on the success of screening 3 lakh citizens for cancer since 2025, the program will be further strengthened.

The budget confirms that India’s Census 2027 will be fully digital, with population enumeration scheduled for February 2027.

In the case of Green Initiatives and Urban Management, BMC has allocated Rs 159.82 crore for air pollution mitigation, including the use of misting machines and road washing in a bid to improve air quality.

The Deonar Waste-to-Energy plant, designed to generate 7 MW of electricity, is expected to be commissioned by June 2026. A 53-hectare world-class public garden is being developed on reclaimed land from the Coastal Road project.

The BMC is laying focus on technological advancements to improve administrative efficiency. Artificial Intelligence will be used to analyse development trends and improve urban planning.

New facilities for paying property tax and water charges via QR codes, WhatsApp links, and PoS machines at Citizen Facility Centres (CFCs) will be launched soon. The core enterprise system is moving to 'RISE with SAP - Private Cloud Edition' for enhanced security and real-time decision-making.

For social and ease of doing business, BMC has allocated Rs 1,000 crore as a grant to support the BrihanMumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking despite its own heavy capital commitments.

Through an online lottery system, BMC is selling 426 tenements to EWS and LIG categories, a first for the corporation.

Event permissions are now streamlined through a single window clearance, and 18 pre-approved film shooting locations have been identified.