Scores of unfinished concrete structures stand across Bhopal, stark reminders of unfulfilled promises by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC). These buildings, part of housing schemes meant for the economically weaker sections, were once hailed as symbols of inclusive urban development. Today, they represent the fallout of civic overreach and prolonged administrative neglect.
The housing projects at Ganganagar, Bagmugaliya and Shyam Nagar were launched under the Housing for All (HFA) initiative, with a target to complete construction within 18 to 24 months. However, as of May 2025, these sites remain incomplete despite several deadline extensions and fresh promises from officials.
In October 2024, frustrated homebuyers staged a protest at the BMC Commissioner’s office near ISBT, demanding possession of their long-overdue homes. The protestors, mainly working-class families, voiced their anger over the lack of progress and transparency in the implementation of the schemes.
Public anger flared up again in May 2025, when beneficiaries marched to the Collectorate, highlighting the ongoing delays. Many said they were simultaneously paying EMIs and rent, a dual burden that had pushed them into financial distress. For several families, the promise of home ownership had turned into a source of anxiety and loss.
These protests are part of a broader issue: the BMC’s tendency to take on responsibilities beyond its functional expertise. While the intent to provide affordable housing is commendable, the execution has suffered from years of delay, budgetary issues and poor supervision. The civic body, already overstretched managing basic urban services, is ill-equipped for complex housing delivery.
Simultaneously, the BMC is tasked with implementing major national missions such as the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), which deals with homelessness and livelihood trainings for the urban poor.
Under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the BMC is responsible for curtailing pollution — an initiative that has struggled, with the state capital failing to meet its air quality targets.
The consequences of this overreach are visible citywide. Rain chokes drainage systems, waste collections falter, civic fire safety remains lax, and water supply is unreliable. These are not isolated problems but signs of a civic body stretched beyond its limits — diverted from core duties by ambitions it cannot sustain.
Urban housing requires dedicated planning, sustained funding and institutional support. By overextending, the BMC jeopardises both its essential services and its larger goals. To regain public trust, the civic body must return to its foundational responsibilities and focus on getting the basics right.
BMC finally guarantees flat Possession
Bhopal: After repeated delays, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally given a written guarantee of flat possession under three long-delayed housing schemes—Ganganagar, Shyam Nagar and Bagmugaliya—by December 2025.
The assurance comes after years of frustration for beneficiaries of the Housing for All (HFA) initiative. Started between 2017 and 2019, the projects missed multiple deadlines, leaving hundreds in limbo.
Now, in a letter signed by Executive Engineer RK Goyal, the civic body has declared that 72 flats in Ganganagar’s C-3 block are ready. Work on remaining units will be wrapped up by year-end.
