BMC saves Rs 7.48 crore in Bhandup Water Treatment Project, civic chief felicitates engineers

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has saved approximately Rs 748 crore during the relocation of extra high voltage EHV power transmission towers for the upcoming water treatment plant at BhandupRecognising the achievement Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide honoured a team of engineers from the Water Supply Projects Department with certificates of appreciation at the BMC headquarters on FridayThe engineers honoured included Executive Engineer Rajesh Kapadnis Assistant Engineer Hrishikesh Vartak SubEngineer Gururaj Aivale and SubEngineer Subodh NakharekarSenior civic officials including Deputy Commissioner Prashant Gaikwad Deputy Commissioner Purushottam Malwade and Chief Engineer Chandrakant Chaudhary were present during the felicitation ceremonyOne of Asias largest water treatment plantsThe Bhandup Water Treatment Plant with a planned capacity of 2000 million litres per day MLD is expected to become one of the largest water treatment facilities in AsiaThe project is being developed using advanced technology and is designed with a minimum land footprint and a zero wastewater discharge systemThe proposed project site was intersected by extra high voltage power transmission lines belonging to Tata PowerTo make way for the new treatment plant the transmission infrastructure had to be relocatedTata Power initially submitted an estimated cost of Rs 1470 crore including taxes for carrying out the relocation workCost review leads to major savingsUnder the relocation plan five new power towers were constructed over a stretch of around 500 metres to replace three existing towersThe relocation work was successfully completed in February 2026 and two of the old towers have already been removedDuring the implementation process engineers from the Water Supply Projects Department found that the actual cost was lower than the original estimateFollowing a detailed review they pursued rebates and the recovery of salvage value from the dismantled towersAs a result of the reassessment Tata Power agreed to refund Rs 576 crore to the BMC based on the actual expenditure incurred for the workThe civic body is also expected to receive additional revenue from the scrap value of the removed towersOfficials said the actual cost of the relocation project was around Rs 669 crore significantly lower than the amount initially paidApart from the direct refund the BMC also saved money through reduced contractor overheads profit margins and Goods and Services Tax GST components linked to the lower project costTogether these factors resulted in total savings of approximately Rs 748 crore for the Mumbai civic bodyInfra project progressingThe Bhandup water treatment project forms a key part of Mumbais longterm water supply infrastructure development programmeCivic officials said the project will enhance water treatment capacity and improve the efficiency and sustainability of the citys water supply system once completed