Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister and Minister for Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Adv. Ashish Shelar, on Wednesday directed the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to eliminate human intervention in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) tendering process, aiming to enhance transparency and accountability. He emphasized that AI-driven systems would help monitor “variations” in tenders and significantly improve efficiency in project execution.
Following the State Cabinet’s approval of Maharashtra’s Artificial Intelligence Policy, the IT and AI Department has begun taking focused steps for its implementation. In this regard, Shelar chaired a high-level meeting at Sahyadri Guest House, attended by BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, MahaIT Director Sanjay Katkar, IT Department Director Bhuvaneshwari, and other officials.
During the meeting, BMC officials presented the current use of AI in daily operations. They highlighted its role in improving transparency in drain cleaning activities and enhancing civic service delivery. Officials also noted that citizen complaints are being registered at ward offices through AI-enabled chatbot systems.
Shelar called for expanding the use of AI further. He proposed a system where citizens’ complaints, once spoken, are video-recorded and immediately forwarded to the relevant department for action. He also directed the adoption of e-file and e-signature systems to promote paperless governance, similar to their implementation in Mantralaya under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Minister stressed the need for greater transparency in the tendering process, noting that “variations” are often introduced in BMC contracts. He instructed that AI tools be deployed to track and regulate such changes, enabling citizens to access details of completed projects and allowing automated verification of whether such variations were justified.
Additionally Shelar proposed organizing a ‘Hackathon’ to encourage youth participation in civic administration, bringing fresh ideas and innovation into Mumbai’s governance system.
