BMC Standing Committee Slams Growing Dependence On External PMCs

Mumbai: The BMC standing committee on Friday slammed the civic body’s “dependence on external project management consultants (PMCs)”, with corporators flagging rising costs and the steady sidelining of municipal engineers. They accused the administration of over-reliance on private firms and misuse of public money. The backlash stalled multiple proposals for consultancy appointments in water infrastructure projects. A PMC provides expert, strategic advice to optimize project execution

Earlier this month, the committee scrapped a Rs23.35-crore proposal to appoint a consultant for the Pise-Panjrapur water purification project, which seeks to boost treatment capacity from 1,365 million litres per day (MLD) by an additional 910 MLD to meet Mumbai’s rising water demand.

The committee on Friday expressed concerns over the consultancy proposals for four major water projects, including the Manori desalination project’s pumping station (2,000 MLD capacity) in Bhandup and a 3,000-mm pipeline from the Gundavali reservoirs, triggered sharp objections.

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Civic records show the BMC planned to hand all contracts to a single consultant, drawing criticism from corporators. Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Yashodhar Phanse questioned the growing sidelining of civic engineers in water projects, asking why consultants were being preferred over in-house expertise. BJP House Leader Ganesh Khankar mocked the trend, saying consultants might soon end up drafting even the municipal corporation’s budget. Standing committee chairman Prabhakar Shinde directed the administration to halt the proposals and limit the appointment of consultants only to specialised cases requiring technical expertise. “The BMC must use its own engineers and appoint consultants only when essential,” Shinde asserted.

The controversy highlights the BMC’s growing reliance on external agencies for major infrastructure works, a trend that has drawn sustained criticism over transparency gaps, accountability concerns and rising consultancy expenses.

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