As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) gears up to present its 2026–27 financial budget later this month, details obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query reveal the scale and focus of the civic body’s infrastructure spending this year. The response, sought by The Times of India, highlights an aggressive push towards capital-intensive projects, particularly in roads, bridges and sewerage systems.
For 2025–26, the BMC allocated a substantial Rs 43,162 crore towards capital expenditure out of a total budget of Rs 74,427.41 crore. According to department-wise spending data shared under the RTI, the civic body has already spent Rs 19,443 crore in the current financial year. A majority of this expenditure has been driven by infrastructure-heavy departments overseeing some of Mumbai’s largest ongoing projects.
The Roads and Traffic Department recorded the highest spending at Rs 3,365 crore, closely followed by the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Department at ₹3,767 crore and the Bridges Department at Rs 2,940 crore. Road concretisation, a city-wide initiative to convert asphalt roads into concrete, continues at scale across multiple zones. Simultaneously, several bridge projects have progressed significantly. The Carnac Bridge, now renamed the Indore Bridge, was opened last year, while the Bellasis Bridge and Goregaon Flyover were completed during the current year and are expected to open soon. Work on the Sion Bridge is also on track for completion before the monsoon.
Sewerage infrastructure has emerged as another key focus area, with the Sewage Disposal Department working at full capacity to construct seven sewage treatment plants across Mumbai. Civic officials note that since contractor payments are typically settled toward the end of the financial year, total capital expenditure in 2025–26 could surpass Rs 27,955 crore—the amount spent in 2024–25—marking another record year.
However, this surge in infrastructure spending has sharply increased the BMC’s liabilities, which have crossed Rs 2 lakh crore. This has prompted discussions on alternative financing mechanisms. An official said, “There are discussions around looking at InvITs that are commonly used in India in case of highways (NHAI’s InvIT is the biggest example). InvIT (Infrastructure Investment Trusts) pools money from investors and uses it to own or finance revenue-generating infrastructure assets.”
Source: The Times of India
