Mumbai: As part of the ongoing media tour to Mumbai organised by Press Information Bureau, J&K, a delegation of journalists from Jammu and Kashmir today visited the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The visit aimed to familiarize the participants with Mumbai’s civic administration, disaster management systems, and major infrastructure projects.
The delegation, led by Neha Jalali, Director, PIB Jammu, is visiting Mumbai in coordination with PIB Mumbai. Ganeshan, Deputy PRO, BMC, and Sriyanka Chatterjee, Media and Communication Officer, PIB Mumbai, accompanied the group.
At the BMC headquarters, officials briefed the delegation on the corporation’s structure, functions, and historical legacy. The BMC, India’s largest civic body, operates with 110 departments, 25 wards, and around two lakh employees, with an annual budget of ₹75,000 crore. The journalists also took part in a heritage walk of the 1893-built BMC headquarters, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rashmi Lokhande, Chief Officer, Disaster Management Department, BMC, detailed the corporation’s multi-agency disaster response system and communication network for emergencies. She also highlighted the role of the City Institute of Disaster Management (CIDM), which conducts training programmes on preparedness and response.
The delegation later attended a presentation on the Mumbai Coastal Road Project by Shri Vijay Zore, Engineer, BMC, who shared that the project will reduce commuting time by about 70% and fuel consumption by 34%, contributing to lower emissions. The group also visited the Haji Ali Pumping Station, which expels floodwater from the city at a rate of 6,000 litres per second.
At the MMRDA, Dr. Shanker Deshpande, Chief, Town and Country Planning Division, briefed the delegation on the agency’s planning and development initiatives for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, home to 25.8 million people. He discussed key projects such as the Metro Network and Atal Setu, emphasizing MMRDA’s focus on sustainable and inclusive urban growth.
The five-day PIB J&K Media Tour to Mumbai aims to provide journalists from Jammu and Kashmir with exposure to national-level projects and institutions of strategic and developmental importance, fostering greater understanding of India’s urban governance and infrastructural advancements.