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Time of India
02-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Civic labour unions meet to protest against BMC tender
MUMBAI: A meeting was organised by a joint committee of seven labour unions at the Annabhau Sathe Auditorium in Byculla on Tuesday afternoon to oppose a recent BMC tender regarding the collection and transportation of solid waste. In an unexpected move, municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani made an appearance and attempted to placate the workers. However, his efforts proved unsuccessful, with the unions announcing that they will hold a vote on July 8 to decide whether to continue the protest. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The BMC's Solid Waste Management Department had issued a tender on May 14, 2025. As per the tender, cleaning and transport operations are to be carried out by contractors under an 'area-based' system. The plan involves handing over waste collection and disposal work across 22 wards to private firms. Currently, this work is handled by permanent civic workers and some contract workers. At Tuesday's gathering, Gagrani said, 'You all work hard to keep Mumbai clean. But the city's waste is increasing, and managing it is becoming more complex. The challenge is not just cleaning roads, but matching the cleanliness standards of modern global cities.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like People Aged 50-85 With No Life Insurance Could Get This Reassured Get Quote Undo He added that, after thorough study, the decision to adopt a 'service-based' model for cleanliness was taken, and the tender issued accordingly. 'We are willing to move ahead only after understanding your concerns and with your agreement,' he assured. 'This tender does not mean existing municipal workers will be removed. No employee will be laid off,' he stated. After his speech, Gagrani left the venue. But despite his assurances, the unions maintained their stance and said the protest plan remains in place. Municipal Union general secretary Ramakant Bane said a vote will be held across approximately 400 locations on July 8 to decide on the strike. 'If everyone feels we should keep up the protest, we will then all go to Vidhan Sabha and seek a meeting with the Chief Minister. The BMC administration has not been very receptive to our concerns,' said Bane. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
BMC selects RIL to develop open spaces along Coastal Road
Mumbai: Nearly a year after Mumbai's Coastal Road was opened to traffic, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has selected Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to develop 53 hectares of reclaimed open space along the road. The company will take at least three to four months to prepare a plan, following which work on realising new open spaces along the road from Priyadarshini Park to Worli will commence, said sources in the civic body. On Thursday, BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani signed the letter of intent (LoI) outlining terms of the deal between BMC and RIL. 'Reliance was one of the companies that evinced interest in developing open spaces along the entire stretch of the Coastal Road,' said Gagrani. Another official from the Coastal Road department said RIL was the only firm that met the requirements specified in the call for expressions of interest (EOI). 'It was also the only company that had experience in developing such a large tract of open space,' the official said. The company will take at least 3-4 months to revert to the BMC with a design, said Gagrani. 'We will approve the design after discussions, perhaps involving external landscape architects,' he mentioned. HT reached out to RIL for comments on the development, but did not get any response from the company. Initially, the BMC had planned to develop open spaces along the ₹13,000-crore Coastal Road of its own accord. The plan was rolled back due to estimated additional expenditure of ₹400 crore and increased capital expenditure on big ticket projects including north-ward extension of the Coastal Road. In January this year, the civic body issued a call for expressions of interest (EoI) to develop and maintain the open spaces for a period of 30 years, extendable by another 30 years. The open spaces would include gardens, parks, waterbodies, and cycle and pedestrian walkways, and commercial activities would be allowed subject to permission from the Supreme Court, the EoI mentioned. The move to allow commercial activities subject to court approval irked many Mumbaikars, who saw it as a bid to privatise these spaces. Meanwhile, an online petition seeking an urban forest all along the Coastal Road has garnered over 40,000 signatures. Nandini Chabria, a member of the core team behind the proposal to create the urban forest, said the 53-hectare open space could be divided into three zones. The seaward side could have wind-breaker and salt-tolerant trees like Kewda, Sultan Champa, and Powderpuff mangrove while the side adjacent to the carriageway could have evergreen and deciduous trees like Jamun, Bakul and Amaltas. The zone in the middle could have shade-giving trees and flowering shrubs to attract butterflies, she said. 'This is a rare opportunity for us to turn the open space into a rich, climate-smart green zone,' said Chabria. 'Rising temperatures in the city, increase in sea levels and deteriorating air quality warrant the development of such a zone.' While the proposal was submitted to the BMC this week, municipal commissioner Gagrani said it would 'definitely be considered' while finalising the plan for the open space. Half hectare excluded A little over half a hectare – equivalent to the size of a football field – has been left out of the 53-hectare open space that will be developed and maintained by RIL. This includes the 3,000 sqm and 2,300 sqm sought by the Breach Candy Club and the Breach Candy Hospital, respectively. Both institutions claimed the portions fell within the area between the high tide line and the low tide line, and they had gone underwater over time. The hospital has been given its share as per instructions from the collector as it holds the lease for the reclaimed portion and wants to convert it into a parking lot. The Breach Candy club, which also owns the reclaimed portion it had sought, are still in the process of claiming it. 'Though these portions have been excluded from the open space, no built-up construction will be allowed on them due to the existing reservations on the plots,' said an official from the Coastal Road department. These portions would likely be out of bounds for the public, the official added.
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Install dewatering pumps 414 low-lying areas: Bhushan Gagrani
Two days after the southwest monsoon marked an early arrival in Mumbai — the earliest recorded onset in at least the past 75 years — pounding the city with over 200 mm of rainfall, municipal commissioner and state-appointed administrator Bhushan Gagrani on Wednesday ordered immediate installation of dewatering pumps in as many as 414 low-lying areas. Besides, Gagrani also directed that all flood-control gates at the pumping stations in Haji Ali, Britannia and Lovegrove should be immediately checked so that the city's infrastructure is ready for any flood-like situation during the monsoon. He also instructed civic officials to immediately re-evaluate the existing flood-control mechanisms to make sure there is no flash flooding. 'Monsoon has arrived in Mumbai a fortnight earlier than usual, even though pre-monsoon works are going on at a fast pace. As a result, cleaning of drains, roads and other works have been affected. However, keeping in mind civic services, monsoon measures should be improved according to the situation and expedited,' he said. Gagrani's instructions came following a joint debriefing session on Wednesday, where civic officials along with the Mumbai police briefed the state government about the May 26 flooding. Gagrani said besides installing dewatering pumps, the BMC has also issued Letter of Approval (LoA) for acquiring 10 vehicle-mounted pumps, which will be deployed within the next eight days. 'These vehicles will be deployed to tackle flash floods in areas not equipped with dewatering pumps,' said an official. Gagrani also instructed that remaining desilting work should be completed within the next eight days and that all roads should be cleared of barricades and trenches within the next 24 hours. IMD downgrades forecast A day after issuing a yellow alert for Mumbai indicating moderate to heavy spell of rainfall till May 30 (Friday) morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday downgraded it. In its five day forecast issued on Wednesday afternoon the IMD said a yellow alert will be in place only till Thursday morning, following which no alert for heavy rains have been issued. The weather bureau, however, said light to moderate spell of rainfall will continue in the city till June 1. Meanwhile, IMD's Santacruz observatory recorded 1 mm of rainfall till 5.30 pm on Wednesday, while the coastal observatory at Colaba recorded 17 mm of rains. On Wednesday afternoon moderate rainfall lashed several parts of island city and suburbs; 36 mm rain was recorded at Malad, followed by 32 mm at Kanjurmarg, and 21 mm at Mulund.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
‘30% pre-monsoon work completed'
Mumbai: Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Thursday directed civic officials to ensure that the silt lifted from the drains is disposed of at designated places within 48 hours and also employ trash boom wherever necessary. Gagrani said about 30 percent of the pre-monsoon target for removing silt has been completed so far. Gagrani inspected the ongoing nullah cleaning works at various locations and said that BMC will be spending Rs 235 crores for removing silt from small and large drains. tnn
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- General
- Indian Express
BMC completes 30% desilting, task to be completed in one month
As the city braces for the onset of monsoon within two months, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has achieved 30 percent of its desilting target so far, according to BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who said the complete target will be achieved over a period next one month. In a bid to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon owing to choking and clogged drains, the civic body conducts desilting of minor and major nullahs across the city ahead of monsoon. Desilting refers to the process of extracting muck, silt and other sediments deposited in drains and riverbeds, to ensure smooth flow of drains during monsoon. Alongside the silt (soil) from the water which gets deposited naturally, a large amount of solid waste—from settlements along the drains—also gets accumulated in the city nullahs. This year, a fund of Rs 235 crore has been allocated for the annual pre-monsoon desilting exercise, for which at least 25 agencies have been roped in. On Thursday, civic chief Bhushan Gagrani visited pockets like Racecourse nullah, Nehru Science Centre nullah as well as Dadar Dharavi drain to conduct inspection of the ongoing desilting works. After taking stock of the exercise, Gagrani said nearly 30 percent of the targeted works have been completed so far, adding that the BMC is likely to achieve its complete target by the next month. Amid several pockets sounding concerns over the heaps of silt kept along the drains, Gagrani instructed officials to ensure all the sludge from the drain is disposed of within 48 hours while also using equipment like 'trash booms' wherever required. According to Gagrani, following directives from the chief minister, the civic body has also enhanced transparency in the process of desilting works by utilising artificial intelligence, for the first time ever, to analyse the quantum of silt and muck extracted during the exercise.
