Mumbai Civic Administration

Any discussion on India is incomplete without the mention of the country's financial backbone, Mumbai. Formerly known as Bombay, the city is the capital of the western state of Maharashtra and is the most populated city in the world. The city of Mumbai is the premier economic center in India and is the headquarters for all the major industrial houses, financial corporations and corporate giants. It houses major financial establishments like the Mumbai Stock Exchange and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). With such a tremendous magnitude, the city requires a strong governance and organization. The Mumbai civic administration is making several efforts to provide ensure that the city has a proper governing system in place.

A municipal corporation, known as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), mainly controls the Mumbai civic administration . The Municipal Commissioner is the executive head of the BMC and is appointed by the Maharashtra state government. Apart from the Commissioner , the BMC comprises of 227 Councillors who are elected directly by the people, 5 nominated Councillors and a Mayor. The Mayor is the ceremonial head of the city with the real authority resting in the hands of the Commissioner. Apart from the Commissioner, there is an Assistant Municipal Commissioner who supervises the administration of every ward in the city. The city of Mumbai has been divided into 24 municipal wards for the purpose of smooth and efficient civic administration.

Such a large city requires an efficient security machinery to control criminal activities in the city. Rightfully, the security system of Mumbai is controlled by the Mumbai Police , which has the reputation of being the second best police force in the world. The force is led by the Police Commissioner, who is responsible for the efficient working of the security system in the city. The city has been divided into seven police zones, which is headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police. The entire Mumbai Police comes under the purview of the state Home Ministry department. Mumbai also has an elaborate judicial system and comprises of two lower courts with a sessions court for criminal cases and small causes court for civil matters. The city also houses the Bombay High Court , which extends its jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra and Goa.