A fresh political controversy has erupted in Mumbai after public representatives and senior officers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demanded replacing their recently acquired Scorpio-N SUVs with Toyota Innova Crysta cars, citing health issues such as severe back pain. The officials argued that spending long hours in the seats of the newly purchased vehicles causes physical discomfort during daily transit. To address these concerns, a fresh proposal valued at approximately 1.5 crore rupees has been drafted to acquire a fleet of new Innova Crysta models, triggering sharp criticism over the expenditure of public funds.
Health Concerns and Demands for Long Distance Travel Comfort
According to complaints submitted by municipal representatives and senior administrative officers, daily transit from far-flung northern suburbs to the BMC headquarters in South Mumbai has become physically grueling. Officials commuting daily from distant locations such as Dahisar, Kandivali, and Borivali stated that the seating geometry in the Scorpio-N lacks sufficient ergonomic support, resulting in frequent road jerks, backache, and waist strain during extended journeys. Representatives emphasized that Toyota Innova Crysta vehicles provide vastly superior ride quality and comfort, making them far better suited for lengthy inspection tours and long daily commutes across the city.
February 2026 Procurement and the Financial Breakdown
The controversy is fueled by the significant monetary outlay involved in replacing vehicles bought only months prior. In February 2026, the BMC spent nearly 2 crore rupees to purchase 13 new Scorpio-N SUVs at a unit price of approximately 20 lakh rupees. These vehicles were assigned to high-ranking functionaries, including the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Leader of Opposition, and other key municipal officers. However, just a few months after deployment, a fresh proposal has been drawn up to replace several of these vehicles with Innova Crystas priced at around 23 lakh rupees each.
Under the new proposal, the civic body plans to purchase 6 new Toyota Innova Crysta vehicles, bringing the total estimated expenditure to roughly 1.5 crore rupees. These 6 new cars are earmarked for specific key office bearers: the Deputy Mayor, the Leader of the House, the Leader of Opposition, the Chairman of the Standing Committee, the Chairman of the Improvements Committee, and the Chairman of the Education Committee. In response to concerns regarding the fate of the existing SUVs, BMC officials clarified that the replaced Scorpio-N cars will not be decommissioned; instead, they will be reassigned to other municipal officers currently operating older legacy vehicles.
Political Opposition and Official Justification
The proposal has met with intense criticism from opposition members within the civic body. Former Mayor and Leader of Opposition Kishori Pednekar raised strong objections, accusing the administration of squandering taxpayers money to cater to the personal comfort of a select few individuals. Pednekar asserted that official government vehicles ought to be utilized throughout their standard operational tenure rather than being discarded or swapped merely months after procurement.
Defending the move, Mayor Ritu Tawde and Mayor Raju Tawde stated that no separate independent tender is being floated for the acquisition. Instead, the demand is being processed under existing contractual provisions that permit model substitution when required. Municipal authorities maintained that the contract explicitly allows for vehicle model changes based on operational necessity. The Mayor reiterated that the decision was initiated solely after receiving multiple complaints regarding back pain from representatives, adding that Opposition Leader Kishori Pednekar herself had previously acknowledged the travel discomfort associated with the existing vehicles.
