The BMC is all set to present its budget in the initial days of February. File pic

Just like last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is unlikely to announce any big-ticket project for the 2018-19 budget. Instead, it will focus on completion of ongoing projects. The civic body is all set to present its budget in the initial days of February. Last year, the Corporation had made the unprecedented move of slashing the budget by Rs 12,000 crore, bringing the 2017-18 layout down to Rs 25,141 crore from the previous year's Rs 37,052-crore budget. Every year, the civic body faces considerable criticism over poor expenditure, prompting the authorities to slash the budget and only propose the completion of ongoing projects and proposed achievable projects. A source from the BMC said, "The budget amount is likely to increase by about Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,500 crore, as this year, too, we will focus on finishing projects that have been in the pipeline for years. The coastal road and Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) will be on a priority list, as these projects are backed by Shiv Sena as well as BJP."