The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) presented a Rs 480,724 mn budget for 2026–27 projecting a marginal surplus, its first in eight years.

Revenue was estimated at Rs 480,725.7 mn, slightly above planned expenditure after last year’s downward revisions.

The surplus stood at Rs one point seven mn.

Infrastructure made up 87 per cent of expenditure, accounting for over Rs 420,000 mn of the outlay.

Rs 40,000 mn was allocated to the Third Mumbai project across 124 villages near Atal Setu and Navi Mumbai International Airport, with Rs 20,000 mn already spent in 2025–26.

Rs 11,890 mn has been set aside for a proposed 70 km tunnel corridor with a total cost estimated at Rs 240,000 mn.

The budget rests on record borrowings of Rs 237,111.6 mn, the highest in five years.

Interest payments are forecast to rise from Rs 660 mn in 2022–23 to Rs 32,470 mn in 2026–27, an almost 50-fold increase.

Land sales are expected to yield Rs 111,770 mn, up from Rs 45,820 mn last year.

Receipts from operational assets such as tolls, Metro Lines 2A and 7, the monorail and the Surya Regional Water Supply project underperformed, revised to Rs 2,380 mn in 2025–26 from an initial Rs 3,050 mn.

The authority expects Rs 4,410 mn from these assets in 2026–27.

Past trends show intended infrastructure spending of Rs 350,000 mn in 2025–26 resulted in actual spend of just over Rs 260,000 mn.

The metropolitan commissioner said the surplus reflected fiscal discipline and calibrated capital mobilisation, and the chief minister called the outcome a defining milestone that indicates investor confidence and positions the region as globally competitive.

The deputy chief minister and MMRDA chairperson noted that allocating 87 per cent to projects demonstrated focused governance.

Officials cautioned that timely project delivery remains essential given past delays and underperformance.