The Times of India       24.02.2017

MC
is the richest civic body in the country. Last year, its budget was a
staggering Rs 37,000 crore. Each corporator can spend around Rs 1.6cr on
ward every year, plus can do a lot more

1.
Each of its 227 corporators has a Rs 60 lakh corpus to spend annually. Based on their recommendations, BMC uses the money to fund projects in the ward, provided they meet certain parameters

2.
Each corporator can also recommend works in the ward worth Rs 1 crore every year from a development fund, citing local demand

3.
Corporators can use their discretionary funds to take up projects that
don’t figure in the BMC budget, like providing a new water pipeline,
cleaning a nullah or installing furniture in a park. However, such work
should be on BMC land, not on state or private property

4.
You can get in touch with your corporator (BMC gives him an
all-expenses paid phone) for urgent repairs or maintenance of civic
infrastructure like roads, gardens, manholes and clearing debris

5.
A corporator can also be a member of statutory panels like the
standing committee which takes decisions on spending for big projects.
Decisions are taken on proposals put forward by civic administration and
it is up to corporators on the committees to approve or reject the plan
within 30 days

6.
Ward committees are supposed to have representation of citizens aware
of local issues. They are meant to help corporators in planning and
budgeting for the area. In reality, these committees have become defunct
with many corporators proposing names of people known to them, but who
don’t have a record of public service or any stature

7.
Corporators are also expected to attend the civic general body
meetings at the BMC headquarters to discuss and move resolutions on key
issues like renaming of street.