Beautification over pollution?
An internal audit has caught Mumbai’s civic body (the BMC) using funds meant for tackling air pollution on cosmetic city upgrades instead.
Here is the gist of what’s happened:
Diverted funds: The central government gave the BMC a special grant specifically to improve the city's air quality. However, an audit revealed that ₹14.26 crore (around £1.3 million) of this money was instead spent on general city beautification, fixing up gardens, and maintaining playgrounds.
The paperwork didn't match: On official records, the clean-air fund showed "zero utilization" (meaning it looked like none of the money had been touched). In reality, the cash had been quietly moved into an operational account to cover these unrelated departmental works.
Wrong priorities: Auditors and environmentalists are furious, pointing out that the cash should have gone directly towards things that actually clear the air—like buying mechanical road sweepers, controlling construction dust, and sorting out better waste management to stop rubbish fires.
Demanding answers: The audit department has now ordered the BMC administration to explain exactly why they prioritized looking nice over letting residents breathe clean air.
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