Bombay Municipal Corporation - Definition

Bombay Municipal Corporation administrative building

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (formerly Bombay Municipal Corporation) or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is India's richest municipal organisation. It is responsible for the civic infrastructure of the city of Mumbai (Bombay). The BMC, as it is more popularly known is the largest civic organisation in the country and covers an area of 434 sq km.

Tasks

The BMC is responsible for providing basic infrastructure to the city.

• Creation and maintenance of roads, highways and streets.
• Public municipal schools
• Water purification and supply
• Hospitals
• Street lighting
• Maintenance of parks and open spaces
• Sewage treatment and disposal
• Garbage disposal and street cleanliness
• Creation of Flyovers
• Aiding in prevention of epidemic outbreaks through mass production of medicines at the Haffkine Institute.
• Cemeteries and Crematoriums
• Registering of births and deaths.
• Lifeguards at beaches
• Lighthouses

Administration

The corporation is headed by a Municipal commissioner, an IAS officer. He wields the executive power of the house. A quinquennial election is held to elect corporators to power. They are responsible for overseeing that their constituencies have the basic civic infrastructure in place, and that there is no lacuna on the part of the authorities. The mayor heads the party with the largest vote. A largely ceremonial post, he has limited duties.

Jurisdiction

The BMC is responsible for most of Mumbai's territory. Their realm extends from Colaba in the south to Mulund and Dahisar in the north. Some regions such as Defence lands, Bombay Port Trust lands and the Borivali National Park area are out of their jurisdiction. The city is subdivided into alphabetical wards, from A to R. Each ward has own ward office which oversees its territory. The headquarters of the civic administration are in South Bombay opposite the Victoria Terminus.

Other departments

The city's fire department and the BEST undertaking are two autonomous bodies under the BMC.

Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai website (http://www.mcgm.gov.in/)