Mumbai: In view of the monsoon season, the health machinery of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) must be constantly prepared and highly capable to provide patient care. Prajakta Verma-Laungare, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) has issued important instructions to ensure that all necessary precautionary measures are effectively implemented in all hospitals.

Today (July 18, 2026) Prajakta Verma-Laungare visited the Hindu Hardayisamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Municipal Hospital in Jogeshwari (East) and took a detailed review of various health-related issues.

He directed the Zonal Deputy Commissioners and all Assistant Commissioners to coordinate with the officers and staff of the health department to determine the health-related priorities for each ward. He directed them to regularly review health matters and devise an effective mechanism to collect citizens’ feedback. Furthermore, she directed that the new measures aligned with the overall health policy of the BMC should be effectively implemented.
Special measures to prevent monsoon-related diseases
She also issued instructions to inspect construction sites and effectively implement preventive health measures in light of the monsoon season. The preventive measures should be implemented with special focus on slums. Special campaigns and necessary precautions should be implemented to identify patients suffering from monsoon-related and epidemic diseases like dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and gastroenteritis as well as to prevent their spread. Mrs. Verma-Lovangre directed that special attention should be paid to high-risk areas for this purpose.
Regular monitoring of health measures
All Assistant Commissioners and Health Department Officers in Zone 4 should regularly monitor the implementation of health-related measures. Regular reviews should be conducted regarding the Health Management Information System (HMIS), measures to control stray dogs, necessary minor repairs in health facilities and cleanliness drive in health centres. Assistant Commissioners were directed to personally visit the field to inspect the work and adopt a data-driven approach for decision-making. He also directed that the vacant posts of health related posts like Assistant Medical Officers and Insecticide Officers should be filled up at the earliest by following the prescribed procedure.
Priority for repair of health facilities
The Hospital Infrastructure Cell (HIC) should formulate a policy to ensure that the repair works of health facilities in the zone are completed on priority basis and expeditiously. Instructions were issued to treat the zone as a unit and take necessary steps for expeditious completion of repair works in ‘mission mode’.
On this occasion, the Additional Municipal Commissioner also reviewed the operations of S.K. Patil Hospital, M.W. Desai Hospital, and Siddharth Hospital, all of which fall under Zone 4. Varmalawangire directed all the concerned officials to work with responsibility and sincerity, keeping the patients at the centre and keeping their needs in mind, especially in the backdrop of the monsoon season. Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners to regularly review hospitals Varmalawangire reviewed the issues and pending matters related to hospitals in Zone 4. He directed the Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners to regularly visit the hospitals and take necessary action to resolve various issues in a timely manner.
On this occasion, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Varmalawangire inspected the healthcare facilities and operations at Hindu Hardayisamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Municipal Hospital in Jogeshwari (East).
Make licensing and regulatory processes more citizen-centric
The concerned departments should have a clear vision on various licenses issued by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and ensure strict compliance with all licensing regulations. He also directed that in order to improve ease of doing business and ensure smooth delivery of services to citizens, emphasis should be placed on effective implementation and adoption of citizen-centric systems – such as online application process and issuance of online licenses.
Focus on strengthening Citizen Facilitation Centres
The Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) acts as a vital link between the BMC’s health services and the public. Therefore, these centres should be strengthened to streamline all health-related registration processes. The measures should include providing a dedicated window for health services, enabling application tracking, and displaying standard application forms at places easily visible to citizens. The aim is to maximise service delivery while minimising human intervention in health-related services.

To improve the quality of water discharged into the Mumbai sea, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is constructing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Worli, Dharavi, Bandra, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Versova and Malad. The total processing capacity of these 7 projects under construction is 2,464 million litres per day (MLD). An STP with a capacity of 37 MLD was constructed in Colaba and became operational in April 2020. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide directed that the work on all the under-construction STPs be completed within the stipulated time frame and it should be ensured that they are operational immediately. He added that the construction work at Malad STP is progressing at a brisk pace and the progress there is satisfactory.

Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide personally inspected the ongoing construction work of Malad STP this morning (July 18, 2026). During the visit, he reviewed the progress of the project and issued necessary instructions and directions to the concerned authorities. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, Local Corporator Qamar Jahan Siddiqui, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-4) Dr. Bhagya Shri Kapse, Deputy Commissioner (Commissioner’s Office) Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (Engineering) Shashank Bhore, Chief Engineer (Mumbai Sewerage Disposal Project) (In-charge) Shri Ashok Mengde, and other concerned officers were present.

Initially, Bhore reviewed the civil, mechanical and electrical engineering works of the Malad Sewerage Treatment Plant. He collected information from the concerned authorities about the current status of various components of the project, progress of work, quality standards and planning of remaining works. He inspected the installation of machinery and electrical system, performance of processing units and safety measures. Furthermore, he directed the officials to ensure strict adherence to quality standards at every stage and to ensure necessary planning to complete the project within the stipulated time frame. Bhide also reviewed the current operational status of the sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of 2,501 million litres per day (MLD)—including Malad (454 MLD), Worli (500 MLD), Bhandup (215 MLD), Bandra (360 MLD), Dharavi (418 MLD), Ghatkopar (418 MLD), MLD (MLD), MLD (MLD), and Colaba (37 MLD)—through a computer presentation. He directed all the contractors to execute the work with high quality and within the stipulated time frame.

Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the Mumbai Sewerage Disposal Project Department has started the design, construction, and operation and maintenance of the 454 MLD capacity Malad Sewage Treatment Plant (including land improvement works) from July 2022. The design and construction phase is spread over six years, followed by an operation and maintenance period of fifteen years. Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) technology has been proposed for the project. The sewage treatment plant will treat 454 million litres of sewage per day through secondary treatment. Out of this, 227 million litres will later undergo tertiary treatment. Currently, the existing sewage treatment facility in Malad subjects sewage to only preliminary processes—screening and de-greasing—before discharging it into the creek. The proposed scope of work includes land reclamation, design and construction of a new sewage treatment plant, processing of sludge to ‘Class A’ standards, and generation of electricity from biogas generated during the treatment process. Bhide said that necessary permissions have been obtained for the removal of mangroves. Once the new sewage treatment plant is operational, the quality of sea water and marine life will improve. Moreover, the population living in Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, and Goregaon areas will benefit from the project.

Mumbai: The Election Commission of India has launched a Special Revision (SIR) programme for voter lists in the Mumbai region. However, to ensure effective implementation of this programme, it is very important to speed up the overall workflow. District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has appealed to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to make maximum efforts for this purpose. He made these remarks during a review meeting on the work of Assistant Electoral Registration Officers for 26 Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituencies held at Mumbai Public School, Liberty Garden, Malad today (July 18, 2026). The meeting was attended by Additional District Election Officer and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and others.

District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the Special Intensive Revision work in Mumbai was affected by the heavy rains that lashed the city a few days ago. With more rain expected in the coming days, it is necessary to speed up the door-to-door visits and digitization process. He directed everyone to complete the assigned tasks within the stipulated time. Abhijeet Bangar, Additional District Election Officer and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) said that the work related to Special Revision of Electoral Rolls should be completed within the stipulated time and within the stipulated period. To achieve this objective, all Assistant Electoral Registration Officers should simultaneously try to speed up the distribution of counting forms and digitization process. While the Election Commission of India has approved the extension for this work, factors like duties in one’s parent’s department and possible rainfall in the near future should be kept in mind. Mr. Bangar stressed that the door-to-door visits and digitization process should be completed by working extra hours and on vacation whenever necessary, ensuring that the entire exercise is carried out efficiently and within the stipulated time frame.