The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to allocate Rs 702.44 crore for an underground pedestrian tunnel that will connect the Metro 3 Aqua Line’s Nehru Science Centre station with the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the Coastal Road’s Worli promenade.
The 1.5-km pedestrian corridor is planned to improve connectivity between the Metro station, the proposed Central Park at the Racecourse and the Coastal Road. The project is being implemented by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), while the BMC will provide the required funding.
The civic administration has submitted a proposal to the Standing Committee seeking approval for the transfer of Rs 702.44 crore to MMRCL. The proposal states that the decision to provide financial support was taken during a coordination meeting in July 2025.
“In July 2025, the decision was taken in a coordination meeting. The BMC will provide funds to the MMRCL for the construction of the ‘Underground Pedestrian Vestibule’,” mentioned in the proposal.
The amount is proposed to be released in five instalments. The BMC plans to meet the expenditure through development charges collected from construction projects. Since October 13, 2016, the civic body has levied an additional one per cent development charge while granting construction permissions.
The latest commitment adds to the BMC’s existing expenditure on Metro-related infrastructure, which has already crossed Rs 2,500 crore. The civic body is simultaneously undertaking a large pipeline of infrastructure projects estimated at nearly Rs 2 lakh crore, putting additional pressure on its finances.
The proposed funding has drawn criticism from political leaders, who have questioned the decision to finance a project being executed by another government agency while the BMC itself faces substantial capital requirements.
Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi said, “From next year, the BMC needs to spend over Rs 20,000 crore for this project. To fulfil this, the BMC is selling land, creating bonds, and still the state govt wants money from the BMC. Even now BMC is not in finical position to bear a share for this project, and the state govt want full amount from the BMC. We are going to oppose this idea to take funds from the BMC,” said Azmi.
The BMC is also examining additional financing options, including green bonds, to support its expanding infrastructure programme.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
