BMC AS A SINGLE PLAN AUTHORITY?

Citing loss of revenue and confusion among citizens, the BMC has requested the state government to turn the Mumbai civic body into a single planning authority for the city.

The proposal, which was first made by former municipal chief Ajoy Mehta in 2016, has now been formally incorporated in the BMC budget 2021 draft.

Mumbai is perhaps the only city in the country that has multiple planning agencies. The government and, in particular, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray appear to be amenable to the suggestion.

Explaining the reason for allowing the BMC to be the sole planning authority for the city, Chahal said ,"The fact that the