Mumbai: To enable better planning and improve basic services, the BMC began restructuring its 24 wards in 2021. While P North and K East have been split over the last two years, the proposed merger of three corporator wards from L ward and two from M East into M West remains delayed. As a result, larger wards continue to face service delivery and planning challenges due to inadequate staff strength.
Ward Splitting and Restructuring History
With rapid population growth in the suburbs and increasing challenges in managing civic services and development planning, the BMC initiated the splitting of larger administrative wards and restructuring of smaller ones. The last such bifurcation took place in the early 2000s, bringing the total to 24 wards.
Over the past two decades, Mumbai has seen population growth in its western and eastern suburbs, alongside major land development projects. To address service delivery issues, the BMC proposed splitting P North (Malad), K East (Andheri East), and L ward (Kurla).
Successful Bifurcations of P North and K East
After a five-year wait, the BMC split P North into P East and P West, with a new ward office inaugurated in October 2023. This was followed by the bifurcation of K East into K North and K South in October 2024. However, instead of splitting L ward, a new proposal emerged to reorganise ward boundaries by transferring certain corporator wards.
Under this plan, M West—currently with only seven corporator wards—would gain wards from L and M East, the latter of which has around 15 corporator wards.
Impact of Administrator-Led Civic Management
The five-year tenure of the BMC’s elected body ended in March 2022. Since then, the civic body has been administered by a state-appointed administrator—a situation that has continued for over three years. As a result, the proposed merger of the L ward has been put on the back burner, according to civic sources.
“We expect the process to begin after the upcoming BMC elections,” said a senior civic official. The official added that the proposed decentralisation will streamline operations and is expected to reduce the time taken to resolve civic complaints.
Population Distribution Across BMC Wards
The BMC’s 24 wards provide services to citizens living in 458.28 sq km area. According to the data from the BMC’s annual Environment Status Report (ESR) 2025, P-north (Malad) is among the biggest administrative wards in terms of population it manages.
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There are 9.91 lakh people living in P-north. Following this, 9.50 lakh in L ward (Kurla), 8.67 lakh in K-east (Andheri east), 7.88 lakh in K-west ward (Andheri west).
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