CIDCO presents budget of Rs 14,130 crores for the year 2025-26

Vijay Singhal, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of CIDCO, presented a budget for the financial year 2025–26 on March 28, wherein a substantial provision of Rs14,120 crore in expenditure against a receipt of Rs14,130 crore has been made for various projects, including the Navi Mumbai International Airport, mass housing schemes, Metro, NAINA projects, and the Water Supply Scheme.

The budget includes a Rs1,120.50 crore allocation for water supply to CIDCO nodes, which raises eyebrows as residents of CIDCO nodes in Kharghar, Kamothe, Taloja, and Ulwe have been complaining about insufficient potable water supply. However, the budget document does not mention the prevailing water shortage.

Prima facie, CIDCO does not seem to highlight sustainability, said environmental watchdog NatConnect Foundation Director BN Kumar.

Kumar added, "Infrastructure and housing are definitely important and part of CIDCO’s agenda. However, the focus on sustainability and environmental protection is a must for cities to survive. Most importantly, the coastal areas are facing threats from rising sea levels, and instead of working on disaster management, CIDCO is indulging in and encouraging increased construction close to the sea."

He added, "According to a latest survey, at least 10% of Mumbai and MMR will be submerged under seawater by 2040, and urban planners are blissfully ignoring this lurking danger. Drinking water supply continues to be a major concern for citizens outside the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation area. There appears to be no thought given to rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharging, or creating monsoon holding ponds. The water that flows from the Kharghar Hills and Pandavkada waterfalls goes straight into the Arabian Sea."

Kharghar Hills and Wetlands Forum convenor Jyoti Nadkarni lamented that even after decades of creating new townships, taxpayers are still forced to rely on tanker water for potable use. “We wonder where the tanker operators draw their water from,” she said.

She further added, "CIDCO itself is developing mass housing projects, apart from permitting huge residential and commercial developments with no focus on maintaining drinking water supply."

CIDCO claims it has made significant progress in water supply strengthening initiatives, but the impact is not visible on the ground, said NatConnect Foundation, adding that many housing complexes are still forced to pay for water tankers. “The tanker mafia thrives while citizens suffer,” he said.

CIDCO mentioned the Tertiary Treatment Plant at Kalamboli to mitigate the water crisis in the Kharghar and Taloja nodes, but did not set any deadline for its completion.

The Kondhane Dam on the Ulhas River is slated for completion in 2029–30, which is a far-off deadline. The Board has accorded approval for the Kondhane Water Supply Scheme, including land acquisition, cost of the water conveyance system, water treatment plant, MBR, and allied works, amounting to Rs2,772.42 crore. Tenders for the Kondhane water supply scheme will be invited shortly in FY 2025–26.

CIDCO supplies drinking water to nodes in the Navi Mumbai area, such as Kharghar, Taloja, Kalamboli, Navade, New Panvel, Kalundre, Kamothe, Karanjade, R&R pockets, Ulwe, Dronagiri node, and en-route villages along the Hetawane Water Supply Pipeline. Navi Mumbai (South) gets 336 MLD of water supply, mainly from four sources:

• Hetawane Water Supply Scheme – 180 MLD
• MJP – Patalganga source – 80 MLD
• NMMC – Morbe source – 50 MLD
• MIDC – Barvi & Patalganga source – 12 MLD

CIDCO budget 2025-26 at a Glance:1 General Budget Rs. 6868.462 Housing Rs. 3251.383 Metro Rs. 625.484 Water Supply Rs. 1120.505 Railway Rs. 653.636 NAINA Rs. 527.137 New Towns Rs. 1073.42 Total Rs. 14,120 (expenditure)Amount in crores