A major change has been seen in the political and administrative corridors of Mumbai. The state government on Tuesday appointed senior IAS officer Ashwini Bhide as the new Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The special thing is that for the first time in the more than 160 years long history of BMC, a woman has been given the responsibility of this post.
1995 batch IAS officer Ashwini Bhide will retire in 2030, so she is likely to get a full tenure of three years. His appointment is being considered not just an administrative decision, but a big signal for the urban development and infrastructure of Mumbai.
Who is Ashwini Bhide and why is she in the news?
Ashwini Bhide is known as a strict and result giving officer. She is called “Mumbai’s Metro Woman” because she has led big projects like Metro Line-3. Apart from this, while being Additional Municipal Commissioner, he played an important role in taking forward the Mumbai Coastal Road Project.
What is the responsibility of BMC Commissioner and how big is the budget?
Mumbai Municipal Corporation is considered to be the richest municipal corporation in the country, whose budget is more than Rs 80,000 crore. In such a situation, the biggest responsibility before Bhide will be to properly manage this huge budget and solve the basic problems of the city.
What will be the biggest challenges before Ashwini Bhide?
Bhide will have to face many big challenges in his new role-
- Infrastructure preparation before monsoon
- resolution of old civil issues
- completing big projects on time
- Balance of capital expenditure (about 60%)
Will political balance also become a big challenge?
At present, BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena are in power in BMC, while Uddhav Thackeray group has a strong presence in the opposition. In such a situation, Bhide will have to maintain not only administrative but also political balance so that the schemes can move ahead without any hindrance.
Why did the political stir increase regarding the appointment?
Ever since the meeting of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and CM Devendra Fadnavis on Monday night, there were speculations that major administrative changes were going to take place. It is being told that the preferences of both the leaders were different, but ultimately the Chief Minister’s choice was approved.
Whom did she replace and become BMC Chief?
Ashwini Bhide has replaced Bhushan Gagrani, who retired on Tuesday. Earlier, Gagrani was appointed in March 2024 on the instructions of the Election Commission. According to sources, names of senior IAS officers like Sanjay Mukherjee, Aseem Gupta and Milind Mhaiskar were also in discussion for this post, but Bhide won.
Is this a new beginning for women leadership?
In recent years, women officers have been given important posts in Maharashtra. Earlier, Rashmi Shukla was made the first woman DGP of the state and Sujata Saunik was made the first woman Chief Secretary. Now Bhide’s appointment takes this trend forward.
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