HOW THE BMC AFFECTS YOUR LIFE
December 19, 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
The joke goes, you need a birth certificate even to prove that you died. It takes a couple of trips to a ward office to get this vital document. Last year, BMC issued 1.43 lakh birth and 68,000 death certificates. A plan is now in the works to set up a centrally-run network
of data servers which will hook up all the ward offices. You can then have access to records filed anywhere in the city. No of births in Greater Mumbai everyday: 392 No of deaths in Greater Mumbai everyday: 186
LICENCE TO TRADE
To carry out virtually any business in the city, a person has to get a shop and establishment licence by paying a small fee. Last year, the corporation issued such licenses to about 4.23 lakh commercial establishments. It also garners revenue from unauthorised structures in the
form of property tax. Of course, there are thousands of unlicensed hawkers plying their trade in designated nohawking zones and commercial units operating from residential zones. BMC is able to do precious little about it other than carry out sporadic raids. No of licensed hawkers: 2 lakh
BRICK AND MORTAR
Without permission from BMC’s building and estate department, no construction can be carried out. And even when sanction is granted, it comes in stages, starting with the issuing of an Intimation of Disapproval (IOD). This tells the builder of all the conditions he needs to
comply with before he can get a Commencement Certificate to start work. Finally, when the structure is ready, the developer has to fulfil a further set of conditions to get the coveted Occupation Certificate (OC). Without an OC, a building cannot get water/power connections. Even for old buildings, civic clearance is needed for repairs, major structural changes or redevelopment. In terms of managing land, the BMC has the power to take over
private plots if they are required to set up a playground, market or other public amenities.When the BMC takes over private land for public amenities, the owner is often given a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) certificate in exchange. The TDR certificate is a tradeable commodity, which allows extra development anywhere in the suburbs in lieu of the surrendered plot. TDR worth Rs 2,300 cr issued in the last decade Private land to be acquired by BMC: 2.06 cr sq m
PIPE DREAMS
BMC builds dams in catchment areas, lays pipelines, and constructs pumping stations. It purifies, pumps and pipes 3,150 million litres of water into residences, offices and industrial establishments in the city everyday. About 20% of the water supplied is lost in wastage, theft
and leaks. The municipal corporation’s efforts to stem the damage have been superficial at best. The next big-ticket project is the Middle Vaitarna plan which involves building a dam at Thane to generate an additional supply of 455 million litres daily (MLD). Daily water supply: 3,150 mld No of water treatment plants: 2
DIRTY WORK
Everyday, Mumbai generates around 8,000 metric tonnes of garbage, which is collected and disposed of using a chain of neighbourhood bins and a fleet of 1,472 trucks. It’s an antiquated and messy process due to BMC’s inability to enforce segregation of wet and dry garbage. At the dumps, there are barely any facilities to recycle any of the garbage. More than 80% of the water supplied to the city ends up as sewage. The BMC collects 40% of
the effluent, put it through treatment plants, and disposes off the waste into the sea through marine outfalls. To beef up its sewage disposal facilities, the BMC is now executing a Rs 140-crore project which will upgrade the existing network of drains. Population served by sewers in Mumbai: 40%
ROCKY TERRAIN
Barring the highways and arterial routes such as S V Road and LBS Marg, the BMC builds and maintains most of the major roads in Mumbai. The city’s road length is approximately 1,889 kms. This year, BMC has budgeted Rs 680 crore for capital expenditure for concreting and asphalting. Shoddy worksmanship and lack of supervision continue to be concern areas. The corporation does not even have an adequate number of civil engineers to
monitor ongoing work. The other problem is the lack of coordination among various utility agencies which dig up roads to lay pipelines and cables. Annual budget for roads: Rs 680 cr
BODYLINE
BMC’s health department provides cheap medical facilities primarily to the lower and middle-income bracket. It also organises mass vaccination drives and epidemic control drives on behalf of the central and state governments. It runs three of India’s most reputed medical colleges which are attached to KEM, Nair and Sion hospitals. Even its dental hospital at
Nair is considered the finest in Asia. However, its 16 peripheral hospitals in the suburbs are in a mess due to lack of adequate staff, medicine stocks and equipment. No of hospitals: 19
DIAL 101
In case of emergencies, the fire brigade is called on to handle the crisis. This may range from a cat being stuck in a tree to false fire alarms to major fires that have razed slums housing thousands of people. The fire brigade, armed with a budget of Rs 111 crore, is planning to beef up operations by recruiting more staff and buying sophisticated gear. No of
fire stations: 34
IN THE CLASSROOM
Long before the Centre launched the Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan, BMC had started providing subsidised education to the city’s poor through municipal schools and aided privately-run institutions. In all, it runs 1,185 primary schools and 49 secondary schools. However, many of the schools are in poor shape and have been recording high dropout rates. In fact, a
growing section of people from the lower strata are now pulling their children out of BMC schools and enrolling them in privately-run English medium schools. No of primary schools run by BMC: 1,185