India, April 22 -- Nearly half of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) Environment and Climate Change Department budget for 2025-26 remained unspent, with funds lapsing due to staffing shortages, infrastructure gaps and procedural delays, senior BMC officials said.

The issue was flagged by Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Sachin Padwal during the ongoing budget session on Friday, where Padwal alleged significant underutilisation of the department's funds. He claimed that 73% of the allocated Rs.113 crore budget had lapsed, with only Rs.31.16 crore, about 27%, spent during the financial year. Raising concerns over worsening air quality levels in the city, he argued that such underutilisation had aggravated pollution and reflec...