Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), one of India's richest civic bodies, is preparing to move towards a more digital and paperless system. However, a proposal to purchase more than 300 tablets for corporators, senior officials and committee heads has triggered a political controversy, with the estimated cost running around 6 crore. While the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress have termed the proposal unnecessary expenditure, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have defended it, arguing that digitisation could make BMC's functioning faster, more efficient and less expensive in the long run.
BMC plans to go paperless
The BMC has 227 corporators, and the proposal involves procuring more than 300 tablets for corporators, senior officials and heads of key committees. The civic body's argument is that its current system of distributing meeting agendas and other important documents involves considerable expenditure. Printed papers have to be prepared and delivered to corporators, requiring the deployment of staff, peons, vehicles, drivers and fuel.
The proposed digital system is expected to replace much of this manual process. Meeting agendas and documents could be shared electronically, allowing corporators to access them directly on their devices. However, the proposal has immediately come under scrutiny from the Opposition.
UBT calls the proposal wasteful spending
Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray has criticised the plan, describing it as unnecessary expenditure by the civic body. Thackeray pointed out that tablets had been distributed to students during his party's tenure and questioned the decision to now spend BMC funds on devices for corporators. The UBT leader argued that instead of spending crores on tablets, the civic body should prioritise basic issues affecting Mumbai residents. He has also been consistently critical of the BJP-led government on several issues in recent times.
Congress asks why corporators need new tablets
The Congress has also opposed the proposal, questioning the need to purchase new devices when corporators already have smartphones and other personal digital devices. The party has argued that several areas represented by Opposition corporators continue to face problems related to roads, drains and hospitals, while funds for development remain a concern. The Congress has maintained that it does not need tablets for its corporators and would rather see BMC funds allocated towards development work for residents.
BJP defends the digital push
The BJP has hit back at the Opposition, accusing it of politicising a proposal aimed at modernising the civic body's functioning. BMC BJP group leader Ganesh Khankar pointed out that laptops had also been purchased for corporators during the tenure of the BMC under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray. According to the BJP, if the civic body is now attempting to transition towards a digital and paperless system, there is no reason to oppose the move. The party argues that tablets would allow corporators to receive meeting agendas and important documents on time. It could also reduce expenditure on printing, paperwork and the physical transportation of documents.
What could BMC gain from the tablet system?
The proposed digital system could offer several operational benefits if implemented effectively:
- Reduced dependence on paper and printing
- Lower expenditure on physical document distribution
- Faster circulation of meeting agendas
- Immediate access to important documents
- Easier searching and reading of digital records
- Reduced use of peons and delivery staff for document distribution
- Lower vehicle, driver and diesel costs
- Faster access to urgent information
- Reduced paper consumption
- Potential long-term savings for the civic body
However, the key question is whether these potential savings will actually outweigh the initial cost of purchasing the devices.
Shinde Sena backs the proposal
The BJP's position has also received support from its ally, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. BMC Shiv Sena group leader Amay Ghole, who has served as a corporator three times and has also worked in the BMC during the Uddhav Thackeray-led administration, questioned why digital facilities were considered wasteful only now.
According to Ghole, corporators had previously been provided mobile phones, SIM cards and other digital facilities as well. He argued that the current proposal should be assessed on the basis of the savings it could generate rather than simply the upfront cost. Ghole said the BMC has calculated the expenses involved in its existing manual system and compared them with the potential savings from shifting to a digital process. He claimed that the civic body spends up to around Rs 1 lakh annually per corporator on document delivery, vehicles, drivers and diesel.
What is the Rs 6 crore calculation?
The BMC's overall budget is more than Rs 82,000 crore, while the civic body has 227 corporators. Since corporators live in different parts of Mumbai, delivering meeting agendas and other documents from the BMC headquarters to their residences requires logistical arrangements. According to the estimates cited in the proposal, the annual cost can reach around Rs 1 lakh per corporator. For 227 corporators, this translates into a substantial recurring expenditure.
The proposed purchase of around 300 tablets is aimed at reducing these costs by shifting document distribution and other communication to a digital platform. The estimated cost of each tablet is around Rs 1.5 lakh, taking the overall procurement cost to approximately Rs 6 crore. However, the proposal has not yet received final approval. It will first go through the administrative process and will subsequently require approval from the concerned committee before implementation. The entire process could take around one to one-and-a-half months.
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