BMC to reduce red-tapism, move files faster

Mumbai: Delays due to the red-tapism that’s rampant in government offices are about to be reduced in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In a move that is likely to lead to civic projects being fast-tracked, civic chief Ajoy Mehta has directed that sanctioned project files be sent directly to the department concerned, instead of being moved from one table to another.

According to civic officials, in order to obtain administrative approval for any proposal, the file concerned — as per municipal rules and regulations — moves from the department head to officials of the said department and from the accounts department, and then to the deputy commissioner and additional commissioner. After their remarks, it is submitted to the municipal commissioner for final approval. The sanctioned file is then again sent back to the department head in a reverse order.

“Due to this long process, project implementation gets delayed owing to the wait for approvals. There was also a possibility that the delay period may get extended depending on the availability of officials,” said a senior civic official.

Taking note of this, the municipal commissioner has directed that sanctioned files be sent directly to the department head or the assistant commissioner of the said department for speedy implementation of the project.