Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reprimanded BMC officials on Tuesday for the delays in completing key infrastructure projects in Mumbai. He questioned why the municipal corporation takes years to finish projects while the central government completes similar works in two to three years.

The meeting was held at the Vidhan Bhavan secretariat and was attended by BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and other senior officials. Fadnavis instructed the civic body to expedite major projects like the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road and the Versova-Bhayander Coastal Road.

One of the key areas of concern was the Bridges Department, which has a poor track record, often taking six to eight years to complete a single project. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar has now started making regular site visits to speed up progress.

When asked for specific deadlines, BMC assured Fadnavis that Andheri’s Gokhale Bridge would be completed by April 30, the Vikhroli East-West Bridge by May 31, the Carnac Bridge by June 10 and the Vidyavihar East-West Bridge by December 31, according to a Hindustan Times report.

CM Reviews Progress Of Other Key Projects

Fadnavis also reviewed other civic projects, including ongoing work on sewage treatment plants, the redevelopment of Sion, KEM and Nair hospitals, and the progress of interstate bus terminals at the former octroi nakas in Dahisar and Mankhurd. He stressed the need for faster execution of these projects to avoid inconvenience to the public.

In recent months, Fadnavis has been promoting a policy that mandates people should buy vehicles only if they have adequate parking space. He reiterated this point during the meeting, stating that those without private parking should use public parking facilities. He directed BMC to expedite the construction of a 1,200-car parking facility at Haji Ali.

Dy CM Eknath Shinde Speaks On City's Road Concretisation Project

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who was also present at the meeting, spoke about the ongoing concretisation of Mumbai’s roads. He said that 700 km of roadwork is currently underway and once completed, the city will have 2,000 km of concretized roads. He instructed BMC to ensure this work is completed before the monsoon to prevent hardship for commuters.

With these directives, the state government is pushing BMC to improve its efficiency and complete Mumbai’s infrastructure projects without unnecessary delays.