Mira-Bhayandar: MBMC seeks ₹50 crore from state urban development department for beautification of city

Facing a paucity of funds, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has sought financial assistance from the state government’s urban development department (UDD) to implement an integrated project to beautify the twin city.

In his letter to the UDD, municipal commissioner Dilip Dhole has sought financial assistance amounting ₹50 crore for implementing the beautification project. The civic administration is apparently toeing the lines of their Mumbai counterparts, which has embarked on a mission to give a ₹1700 crore facelift to the city under the beautification project.

Aesthetic lighting, gardens, sign boards among the major changes planned

The MBMC has hired the services of a technical consultant who will survey the twin city and prepare a blueprint for the beautification project along with the estimated price tags as per government approved rates, which will be followed by a competitive bidding process.

“I have also made a recommendation to the chief minister for giving a financial nod to the project which will give a much-needed and fitting makeover to the twin city,” said Shiv Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik. The MBMC intends to carry out a variety of works including- illuminating roads with aesthetic lighting, theme-based gardens, attractive directional signage boards, improving and beautifying traffic islands, pavements, open spaces below fly-over-bridges.

Population almost doubled since 2011 census

A blend of rural, urban, coastal, tribal and industrial pockets, the twin-city is spread over an area of 79.4 sq km. Of the total road length in the twin-cities, 5 km is covered by national highways and 3.5 km by state highways, while the remaining major and other internal roads have a total length of 175 km. There are around 170 big and small chowks (road intersections) in the twin-city.  As per the 2011 census, the population of the twin city is 8.09 lakh, however, the actual population has already crossed the 14 lakh mark, this apart from an estimated floating population of around one lakh.