Andheri West MLA Ameet Satam Claims New BMC Admin Saved Rs 1,500 Crore

On Wednesday, Mumbai BJP president and Andheri West MLA Ameet Satam launched a sharp attack in the Legislative Assembly against Uddhav Thackeray’s previous 25-year control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Satam claimed that the new civic administration saved approximately Rs 1,500 crore in just four months by cancelling inflated and unnecessary tenders.

Speaking during the legislative debate, Satam accused the previous Thackeray-led regime of lacking the political will to curb corruption in Mumbai's civic body. He highlighted that the recent multi-crore savings were achieved directly by scrutinising and cancelling inflated contracts that had been previously approved.

In addition to the financial claims, the Andheri West MLA raised several other pressing civic issues during his address. Satam pointed out that the new administration has already taken steps to improve the city's governance, noting that nearly 2,000 encroachments have been removed across Mumbai and the demolition waste disposal system has been tightened.

Satam also proposed a major expansion of Mumbai's long-term water infrastructure. He urged the BMC to scale up its proposed desalination project capacity from 200 million litres per day (MLD) to 1,000 MLD to better secure the city's water supply.

Addressing public safety, the lawmaker demanded immediate action regarding the recent Chembur tree-fall tragedy involving a school bus. Satam insisted that the administration must take concrete action within 48 hours rather than just initiating a standard inquiry.

During the session, Satam expressed concern over the absence of senior IAS officers, noting their lack of attendance during the discussion of these critical urban issues. He also touched upon the regulation of local street vendors, stating that QR codes for hawkers should only be issued after a thorough verification process is completed.