BMC uses contingency fund for facelift works

A total of Rs 300 crore is being spent from the BMC's contingency fund and another Rs 670 crore from corporator funds for implementation of chief minister Eknath Shinde's ambitious Mumbai Beautification Plan, for which Rs 1,705 crore have been allocated in all.

- Richa Pinto

While the civic body has said these funds have been taken as the civic House is no longer in existence (its term ended in March) and budget 2022-23 did not make allocations, members of the opposition and former corporators have called it misuse of power at a time there is no civic House to demand accountability over the spending.

A senior BMC official confirmed that Rs 300 crore is being used through the contingency fund, while a larger part has been derived from corporator funds.

"Money to wards is being released in parts, based on the works they have proposed," said the BMC official. The project aims to enhance the image of Mumbai nationally and internationally, officials said.