Mumbai: The BMC is receiving brickbats from the Bombay High court for lack of effective measures to control AQI in Mumbai. The slamming was to the extent that HC said it will consider salary cut for the commissioner. However, at the time BMC is under workload to ensure air pollution mitigation guidelines are compiled, the department which is at the helm of it, the Environment and Climate Change (E&CC) Department, is severely understaffed.
Staff Shortage Persists
Until three months ago, the department with more than Rs 17,000 crore budget was running with only four engineers out of total strength of 41. In the last three months, 18 engineers including deputies, executives, sub, assistant engineers were hired (some transferred from other civic departments), however, as many as 23 engineers post are still lying vacant, there by adding workload on the existing staff. The department is not only understaffed to work at its full strength, but also lacks a full-fledged office.
Training Takes Time
Senior officers from E&CC department said, "The new staff is still understanding the work. The workings in other engineering departments and enviornment department is very different. The training of the staff takes two to three months. We are expecting remaining posts will be filled this year."
"Although we are short-staffed, it is not affecting our work. Nevertheless, when all posts are filled, work will be streamlined," the officer added.
Frequent Leadership Changes
The E&CC is a comparatively new department formed in the BMC, and the department has seen atleast 15 Deputy Municipal Commissioners since November 2017, with many of them holding additional charge.
HC Focus On Air Quality
The E&CC department has been more in the news in the last two years, since the Bombay High court has been pulling strings to implement effective measures on air quality control in Mumbai. The department also came into limelight two years ago after it released first ever Mumbai Climate Action Plan.
Office Infrastructure Delayed
The full-fledged office of the E&CC department is planned in BMC's Worli Engineer Hub, while other offices are planned in Kanjurmarg and Ghatkopar. All three officers are under planning, and even it they get ready with next few months, the department is yet to fill the engineers and admin and clerical posts which will to use those offices.
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Engineers Prefer Other Departments
The FPJ had reported in June 2025 that the existing assistant engineers in the BMC show less interest in joining the E & CC department and prefer working in departments like roads, bridges, building & proposals, etc. The department is currently running with the Chief Engineer and four assistant engineers. The work was then running with a full-time chief engineer and four assistant engineers, with admin staff and employees managing with additional duties.
Department Upgrade In 2024
The Environment department of the BMC was upgraded to Environment and Climate Change in March 2024 and 41 new positions were created, including a Chief Engineer, two Deputy Chief Engineers, one Deputy Municipal Architect, two Senior Architects, and 35 Sub Engineers.
Rising Climate Budget
The BMC’s Climate budget for FY 25-26 released on Thursday, includes capital expenditures by BMC of Rs 16,321.33 crore and Rs 744.99 crore by BEST, and Rs 3,268.97 crore for revenue expenditure. The Climate Budget for FY 26-27 is expected to see 10 to 12% rise from the previous year.
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