Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani will present the 2026–27 budget of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde on Wednesday, outlining a mix of innovative financing and new infrastructure proposals. For the first time, the civic body intends to raise money from the public through municipal bonds to fund key water supply schemes.
Following approval from the Union government for urban local bodies to mobilise resources via bonds for water infrastructure, the BMC has decided to explore this route for the Gargai water supply project and the Manori desalination plant. In the initial stage, a consultant will be appointed to obtain a credit rating. “Yes, we are considering the possibility of raising funds through bonds,” an official said.
With infrastructure works worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore currently underway, the budget is also expected to reactivate several delayed projects. Among new announcements is a proposed 3.9-km elevated corridor along Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg between Kurla and Ghatkopar, estimated at Rs 1,635 crore, aimed at easing congestion.
The expansion of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road is set to commence this year, including a 1.33-km cable-stayed bridge connecting Nahur to the Airoli Bridge, at a projected cost of Rs 1,200 crore. Another cable-stayed bridge is planned in Byculla to link the JJ flyover with the Y-bridge. Additional proposals include a bridge over Mahim Creek to decongest the Mahim Causeway and a Rs 2,200 crore lagoon bridge between Andheri and Malad.
“The BMC has decided to undertake several bridge and elevated road projects to ease congestion at key traffic bottlenecks,” an official told Mumbai Mirror.
On the waterfront, the Gargai project is expected to add 440 million litres per day, while the first phase of the Manori desalination plant will produce 240 MLD. Pumping stations at Mahul and Andheri are also slated to begin construction this year.
As of January 31, 2026, about Rs 22,425 crore of the Rs 43,162 crore capital outlay had been utilised from the total Rs 74,427 crore budget. “A major portion of the allocation is typically spent in the last two to three months,” the official added.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
