BMC Spends Rs 2.25 Crore on Private Cold Mix After Leasing Worli Plant

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been forced to procure 1,000 metric tonnes of cold mix from a private contractor at an estimated cost of Rs 2.25 crore after leasing out its asphalt plant in Worli, where the road-repair material was previously produced in-house.

With its only cold-mix production facility no longer operational, the civic body is now relying entirely on private procurement to tackle potholes across Mumbai during the monsoon season.

According to civic officials, the BMC had produced cold mix at its Worli batch-mix plant and supplied it to all civic wards until March 2026. Production was completely halted in April 2026 as the civic body initiated the process of leasing out the plant premises. With in-house production shut down, the BMC floated a tender to select a private contractor for a six-month supply.

The BMC has proposed a six-month contract with Mittal Petro Pharma Chem to supply cold-mix material to all 26 civic administrative wards. The material will be supplied as needed to ensure uninterrupted pothole-filling operations throughout the monsoon.

Given the urgency of road repairs during the rains, the concerned Chief Engineer has authorised the procurement of up to Rs 50 lakh worth of material pending the completion of the formal tender process.

Meanwhile, as Mumbai enters the monsoon, the BMC attributed a sharp drop in its overall pothole repair expenditure to its ongoing road concretisation drive. Civic spending on pothole repairs fell from Rs 89 crore last year to Rs 42 crore this year.

Under its 'Pothole-Free Mumbai' initiative, the civic administration is undertaking large-scale road concretisation across the city to solve recurring monsoon damage. The BMC aims to complete Phase I of the project by December 12, 2026, and Phase II by May 2027.