Mumbai:
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is under fire from opposition leaders for allegedly favouring certain constituencies while scrapping the public-private partnership (PPP) plan for Borivli’s Bhagwati Hospital, reportedly under pressure from BJP MP Piyush Goyal.
Goyal, who represents Mumbai North—where Bhagwati Hospital is located—reportedly urged BMC to cancel its tender, a request that was swiftly honoured. However, similar appeals from opposition MPs concerning PPP initiatives in underprivileged areas such as Mankhurd and Govandi were allegedly ignored.
Selective Policy Sparks Political Outrage
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Dina Patil, who represents Mumbai North East—home to the newly constructed Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi—criticized BMC’s inconsistency. “Our letters went unanswered. This is step-motherly treatment. BMC halted privatisation in Borivali because that’s Goyal’s constituency but refuses to do so elsewhere,” he said.
Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh also questioned the rationale behind BMC’s approach. “Why is BMC’s policy selective?” he asked. “In Bhagwati Hospital’s area, the MP is from Mahayuti, but in Lallubhai Compound and Govandi, the MP is from Maha Vikas Aghadi.”
Shaikh, who represents Bhiwandi East, had earlier submitted a written request to BMC urging a halt to PPP initiatives across all proposed hospitals, including one in Lallubhai Compound.
Mixed Reactions Within the Opposition
While several opposition leaders have voiced strong criticism, not all are opposed to the PPP model. Samajwadi Party’s Mumbai and state president, MLA Abu Azmi—who represents Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar—has publicly supported the initiative.
“We support the PPP initiative. Private partnerships can help run hospitals more efficiently; they are better equipped to manage large healthcare facilities. Many BMC or government hospitals are currently in poor condition,” Azmi told TOI.
PPP Plans Move Ahead in Low-Income Areas
Despite the cancellation of the Bhagwati Hospital plan, the BMC last week invited tenders for a PPP arrangement at the newly constructed 580-bed teaching hospital on the campus of Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi. The civic body also plans to adopt a similar model for the Lallubhai Compound Hospital in Mankhurd, an area largely inhabited by economically weaker, project-affected communities.
Dr. Chandrakant Pawar, Medical Superintendent of Peripheral Hospitals, earlier confirmed BMC’s intent to proceed with the PPP model in these localities, highlighting a continuing policy divide that has drawn sharp political criticism.
