Mumbai Discussions

[GeeWhiz]

Hey guys,
This is my first post here. I have to commend the fantastic job being done by CG and the rest, in uploading photos and tirelessly sharing updates. I've been observing the Mumbai forum for more than 2 years now, and simply can't get enough of it
Though I've lived more than half my life in London and Singapore, there's this obsession with Mumbai/Bombay that simply doesn't seem to fade away.

[MeMumbaikar]

^welcome

[afako]

BMC Budget Increases by 26%

The BMC on Tuesday presented a Rs 26,581-crore budget, a 26% increase over last year, which hiked water and sewerage charges as well as several licence fees. If approved , this will be the first such increase in a decade.

The size of the BMC budget , up from Rs 21,096 crore in 2011-12 , is now thrice that of Delhi and more than twice that of Bangalore. In fact, it is even more than some of the Indian states: It is a little less than twoand-a-half times the Goa budget (Rs 8,000 crore) and nearly Rs 5,000 crore more than the Himachal Pradesh budget.

Building residents will now pay Rs 4 per 1,000 litres, a marginal 50 paise more. Slumdwellers , paying Rs 2.25 per 1,000 litres, will pay Rs 3.50. Hotels, three-star and above, will be charged Rs 60 per 1000 litres instead of Rs 38. The increase in water taxes will bring the BMC Rs 313 crore annually.

Municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar who submitted the Rs 106 crore surplus budget for 2012-13 to the civic standing committee, justified the increase to "bridge the gap" between cost of water production and the charges. "Since 2002, water and sewerage charges have not been revised. It costs Rs 11 to produce 1,000 litres of water, while people are charged Rs 2.25 to Rs 3.50," said Kumar. Sewerage taxes which are usually 60% of the water charges, will also rise.

A 75% increase in license fees will mainly affect establishments dealing with chemicals and explosives. Kumar, who put the brakes on fastgrowing capital expenditure in last year's budget, increased it this time by 22.5%, or Rs 9,359.76 crore, against last year's Rs 7,637 crore.

The BMC expects to earn Rs 6,100 crore from octroi (Rs 5,800 crore in 2011-12 ) and Rs 4313 crore from property tax (Rs 3962 crore last year). It plans to collect Rs 1,500 crore from builders as development charge. Octroi and property tax collections account for 63% of the expected revenue. The hikes in rates, clubbed with a higher octroi collection target, are likely to boost revenue income by 28% to Rs 19,681 crore. Kumar said the hikes are essential to keep the civic body afloat without banking on loans.

Over the past few years, the BMC has seen its budget outlays grow rapidly, sometimes at more than 30% over the previous year. From Rs 6715.55 crore in 2006-07 , Rs 12,866 crore in 2007-08 , Rs 16,792 crore in 2008-09 , the total outlays touched Rs 19,931 crore in 2009-10 , Rs 20,417 crore in 10-11 and Rs 21,097 crore last year.

Faced with criticism over maintenance of roads, the BMC increased the budget for their upkeep by 106%. Capital provision for the roads department has been increased from Rs 713 crore in the last budget to Rs 1,466 crore. Water supply and sewerage, which account for 26% of the total budget , were allocated Rs 2,479 crore. The department will concentrate on finishing the ambitious Middle Vaitarna project this year and ongoing underground tunnel projects. An additional Rs 50 crore has been allotted to the Mithi River Project.

The budget allocated Rs 130.77 crore to increase transparency and make municipal services more accessible. This means the civic administration would have enough funds for IT initiatives. Meanwhile, the civic chief has also submitted the long-pending financial statements from 2007 to 2010 to the municipal chief auditor.

The budget will now be discussed by the standing committee and general body of the BMC. Corporators can make changes in the commissioner's proposals before it is approved.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/12349842.cms

[MeMumbaikar]

why is anybody surprised its more than himachal pradesh?

mumbai has more population than himachal pradesh and is much richer per person


Its surprising why Delhi does not have a budget more than Himachal pradesh



This is exactly why the BMC elections are equivalent to elections in smaller states. If mumbai were a state similar to delhi the budget would probably be more than punjab.

[afako]

Originally Posted by MeMumbaikar

why is anybody surprised its more than himachal pradesh?

mumbai has more population than himachal pradesh and is much richer per person


Its surprising why Delhi does not have a budget more than Himachal pradesh



This is exactly why the BMC elections are equivalent to elections in smaller states. If mumbai were a state similar to delhi the budget would probably be more than punjab.

Considering Mumbai Single Handedly Fills up the Coffers of the Maharashtra Government, I am even Confident that Mumbai's Tax Would be the Number One State in India!

[MeMumbaikar]

nah

i doubt it would be the case.

but still mumbai budget would probably be of the same as Kerela

or similar to a 30-40 million middle ranked per capita income state.


Mumbai district Raigad and Thane district or Mumbai MMR will probably have a similar budget to andhra pradesh.


as a state that is. Obviously municipal elections are different and different roles to state.


as far as GDSP goes i think these three districts will probably have the same GDSP as Gujarat state

[tryindiffdrugsngirls]

with so much money its just amazing how they let the city get flooded every monsoon

[MeMumbaikar]

too much concrete and

lets break it down

26,000 crore in a population of 12.5 crore

works out to about Rs2000 per person.

with the population densities of mumbai rainwater issues will always be there. We all forget the huge task facing the BMC.


I go shopping or last time i went everything from the clothes to the food was extremely expensive. A lot of that chuck of the budget probably goes to playing employees. The point i am trying to make it purchase parity of that money in mumbai is much less than other states.


there are also other issues for the city, like Indian railways being independent of the bmc and mmdra. Which makes it hard for the bmc to act when the trains get clogged due to rain cause they dont have the mandate.

[jaadu]

Population of 12.5 crore ? I think you increased it by a factor of 10 !!

[MeMumbaikar]

yup my mistake

still works out to Rs20,000 a person

cant see too much being done in that.

[asterix1]

the city needs to get a paint job first.

[tryindiffdrugsngirls]

you might be wrong. population density of mumbai may actually help it. a smaller grid would cover more people cuz of the density

[MeMumbaikar]

grid? sorry dont understand

grid involves providing water or getting rid of it?


Problem i see is that more and more the city is getting concrete and then there are naturally low laying areas which are further complicated by settlement of slums near them which makes moving drainage projects take a long time.


I guess they need mass mangrove plantations. In conjunction with general drainage./barriers.

dont know if mmdra has that job. for me the jobs of bmc and mmdra are getting blurred by the day

[Indiadreams]

I doubt if we can compare the budget of BMC with other cities and derive conclusion. The civic bodies will be structured differently in different cities. In case of Delhi, the state Govt and central Govt may also directly invest in providing and maintaining civic facilities, while in case of Bombay, BMC and MMRDA share that. Who does what is a big confusion always. Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata too have different bodies responsible for different activities.

[sixsigma1978]

Think all the pending and on-holds will get cleared?

Mumbai skyline to get 78 times taller


Mumbai: On Saturday, High-rise Committee chairman Shafi Parkar and BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte approved development proposals for 78 skyscrapers " buildings above the height of 70 metres. Saying that Mumbai has only 30 buildings of 100 metres height or more, while Shanghai has 200 and New York close to 500, Mr Kunte made a case for buildings to get taller to circumvent the city's lack of space.

The High-rise Committee's approval for 78 skyscrapers (higher than 70 metres) in the near future, along with the support of the BMC commissioner, is set to change Mumbai's skyline in the near future.

Civic chief Sitaram Kunte and chief of the High-rise Committee, justice (retd) Shafi Parkar, both advocated the need for towers citing space crunch in Mumbai.

Participating in a seminar called 'Rising skyline of Mumbai' hosted by the practising engineers, architects and town planners association (PEATA) on Saturday, Kunte quoted an article in a reputed economics periodical, saying that Mumbai has only 30 buildings which are at a height of 100 metres or more, whereas Shanghai has 200 and New York has close to 500.

The present committee, appointed last year, has approved 38 new proposals of high-rises and 40 proposals which were pending with the last committee, said the civic chief. In his address, justice (retd) Parkar said tall buildings were a necessary alternative for the rising population of Mumbai. He stressed that enough space around the buildings was required for the high-rises.

Even as the limited space available makes it imperative to have high-rises, Mr Kunte said, a suggestion by the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) to allow high-rises on small plots was not acceptable. He said the State government's approval to recommendations by the BMC on proposals for tall buildings - up to 120 metres - should not require the High-rise Committee approval and proposals for structures between 120 to 200 metres must be scrutinised by reputed institutions such as VJTI and IIT. Structures higher than 200 metres height must have structural consultants of international repute.

Mr Kunte assured the PEATA members and developers that the civic body will not go ahead on proposals without prior consultation. He also informed them that till May 31 this year, 326 proposals on high-rises were received by the High-rise committee, out of which 322 were cleared and 104 were pending. Sixty two are pending for submission of required documents.

In his welcome speech, PEATA chairman Pravin Kanekar said the city skyline was changing fast with diminishing textile mills and old chawls which used to be part of its identity. High-rises are a necessity and proposals for them should be cleared on priority, he said.

Making a presentation, Sunil Nesarikar, deputy chief fire officer of the BMC, said that soon, a 90 metre-high ladder will be procured to meet the requirements for fighting fires in Mumbai. Currently, the tallest ladder is 68 metres high and the tallest ladder available in the world is 120 metres high. The seminar was coordinated by architect Shirish Sukhatme and convened by Dr H M Raje and Ajit Khatri.

[dunefreezer]

I think it will.....People were complaining about the lack of decision back then and the projects taking 2 years to get approved....Now i guess it is changing.

[ubermeow]

What is the GDP of Mumbai Metropolitan Area?

[ubermeow]

Originally Posted by MeMumbaikar

good article

the jist of it is that mumbai needs to build upwards.........these FSI laws are fcuked up

Not only that, Mumbai should also be at the forefront of revolutionising the construction industry. Only Mumbai, due to certain geographical constraints, can deploy innovative techniques for quality and eco-friendly construction. Strangely, if things don't work in Mumbai then they don't have a chance in the rest of the country too. Mumbai is truly India's Maximum City. Infact, even other Asian cities like; Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai pale in front of Mumbai on many counts.

[anujkb]

Originally Posted by afako

Mumbai Megaproject Plan

http://www.nataraja.org.in/site_incl...ember_2011.pdf

Hahahaha that is a retard thingy really! Rs 4k cr/day for 7 yrs nonstop :P

I used to do such things in my childhood say 5th/6th std. But now i have grown up to be a student of M.tech in transp engg to understand some things better :P

but this one seems even worse

[MeMumbaikar]

Originally Posted by ubermeow

Not only that, Mumbai should also be at the forefront of revolutionising the construction industry. Only Mumbai, due to certain geographical constraints, can deploy innovative techniques for quality and eco-friendly construction. Strangely, if things don't work in Mumbai then they don't have a chance in the rest of the country too. Mumbai is truly India's Maximum City. Infact, even other Asian cities like; Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai pale in front of Mumbai on many counts.

true