MUMBAI: The BMC is set to open up civic works to labour cooperatives, with Mayor Ritu Tawde indicating that a formal decision will follow after consultations with municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide and other stakeholders.
The assurance came at a training camp for labour cooperative societies organised by the Mumbai Konkan Divisional Labour Cooperative Federation at Kohinoor Hall in Dadar on Friday. Tawde said that nearly 700 to 800 labour cooperatives operating in Mumbai could be brought into the civic fold, with smaller works likely to be allocated to them.
The programme, held under the leadership of Maharashtra State Cooperative Union president and MLC Pravin Darekar, was inaugurated by the mayor in the presence of deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi and representatives from labour cooperatives across Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
Speaking to HT, Tawde said that the demand to involve labour cooperatives had been raised earlier by corporator Prakash Darekar. “The municipal commissioner, in an earlier meeting, had viewed the proposal by the cooperative positively, as it will enhance competition and improve the quality of civic works,” she said. “A circular on labour cooperatives has already been issued by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), fixing a certain threshold below which work can be given to cooperatives.”
Confirming the policy, TMC municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao told HT that a Maharashtra government resolution directed works below ₹10 lakh to be assigned to labour cooperatives, and the TMC had issued a circular in this regard.
Darekar said that labour cooperatives had consistently delivered quality work despite limited opportunities in departments such as the public works department, MHADA and zilla parishads. “They should now be integrated into BMC projects,” he said. “They are formed under the Maharashtra Co-Operative Societies Act, 1960, and work as a group, with each member earning almost the same amount. The cooperative model helps in a more equitable distribution of wages among workers.”
The MLC pointed out that besides this, the model ensured wider participation, helped employ more workers and removed contractors from the chain. “It also improves efficiency and increases response time to urgent civic issues, as there will be a pool of cooperatives that take care of immediate and small-scale work,” he said.
Highlighting the scale, Darekar said there were around 900 labour cooperatives in Mumbai, each having about 15 workers, and bringing them into civic works would generate employment on a mass scale. “A ready pool of such cooperatives will reduce turnaround time for urgent works and address immediate civic needs,” he said. “Contractors often overlook smaller projects. Involving cooperatives would create a dedicated workforce for such tasks while increasing competition.”
Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi said that priority would be given to time-sensitive works such as sewage and sanitation, which are small in scale but essential for citizens. Tawde said that enabling labour cooperatives to access BMC projects would strengthen livelihoods, as most of the workers in them were Marathis and contributed to the city’s development.