The Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika (Marathi: बृहन्मुंबई महानगर पालिका) is the civic body that governs the city of Mumbai and is India's richest municipal organisation.[1][2] Its annual budget is even more than that of some of the small states of India. It is also known as Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai[1] (MCGM) or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Established under the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, it is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city and some suburbs of Mumbai. Its motto, यतो धर्मस्ततो जय (Sanskrit: Yato Dharmastato Jaya or, Where there is Righteousness, there shall be Victory) is inscribed on the banner of its Coat of Arms. Built in the Indo Saracenic style of architecture the BMC, as it is more popularly known, is the largest civic organisation in the country.
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The corporation is headed by a Municipal commissioner, an IAS officer. He wields the executive power of the house. A quinquennial election is held to elect corporators to power. They are responsible for overseeing that their constituencies have the basic civic infrastructure in place, and that there is no lacuna on the part of the authorities. The mayor (a largely ceremonial post with limited duties) heads the party with the largest vote.
| City officials | ||
| Mayor | Shraddha Jadhav | December 1, 2009 |
| Municipal Commissioner | Shri. Subodh Kumar | |
| Police Commissioner | Arup Patnaik | June, 2010 |
The corporation's legislature, also known as the Corporation Council, is composed of (as of 2009) 227 members.
The BMC is responsible for most of Mumbai's territory. Their realm extends from Colaba in the south to Mulund and Dahisar in the north. Some regions such as Defence lands, Mumbai Port Trust lands and the Borivali National Park area are out of their jurisdiction. The city is subdivided into alphabetical wards, from A to T. Each ward has own ward office which oversees its territory. The headquarters of the civic administration are in South Mumbai opposite the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
On 24 June 2008, Mayor Shubha Raul passed a controversial proposal mooted by municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak to conduct all administrative business in the BMC only in Marathi.[3]