BMC

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), is the civic body responsible for the governance and administration of Mumbai, the financial capital of India. Established in 1882 under the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act, it is one of the oldest and richest municipal corporations in Asia, with an annual budget that often surpasses that of some Indian states. The BMC oversees Mumbai’s infrastructure, healthcare, public education, water supply, sanitation, and waste management. It is headquartered at the BMC Building, a historic structure near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).

BMC’s responsibilities include maintaining roads, bridges, stormwater drainage, and public spaces, as well as running municipal hospitals, schools, and fire services. The corporation is headed by the Mayor, who acts as the ceremonial head, while the Municipal Commissioner holds executive powers, appointed by the Government of Maharashtra. The BMC's elected representatives consist of 227 ward councilors who handle issues at the local level. These officials play a vital role in making Mumbai’s infrastructure more resilient, particularly against challenges like heavy monsoon rains, flooding, and sanitation crisis.

The BMC has historically been a stronghold of the Shiv Sena, which has controlled the civic body for decades. However, other major political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have also contested fiercely for control over the BMC, given its importance in Mumbai’s governance. The civic elections are closely watched, often serving as a precursor to state-level political shifts in Maharashtra.

In April 2020, a newspaper clipping claiming that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had issued an appeal urging citizens to drink boiled water circulated widely on social media.

BOOM found out that the clipping was actually from May 2018. The advisory was part of a public health campaign from two years earlier and had no relation to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.