Mumbai: BMC Proposes New Trenching Policy With 5X Penalty For Illegal Digging, 10-Year Road Defect Liability

Mumbai, October 5, 2026 - The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has introduced a new policy aimed at increasing accountability for underground utility works in the city. The Comprehensive Trenching and Reinstatement Policy 2026 includes measures to curb unauthorized excavation, impose penalties for such actions, and extend liability for defects in roads repaired after trenching. The revised framework will be presented to the Standing Committee for review.

Key aspects of the proposed policy include:

1. Unauthorised excavation: A penalty of five times the regular reinstatement charge will be imposed on agencies that carry out trenching without permission.

2. Reduced reinstatement fees: The reinstatement fee for utility works undertaken during road construction will be lowered from Rs 6,711 per metre to Rs 2,300 per metre, encouraging coordination between utility agencies and road construction projects.

3. Extended defect liability: Utility agencies will be responsible for defects arising after road reinstatement for a longer period, with a 10-year liability period for cement-concrete roads and five years for non-concrete roads, compared to the current three-year period for all surfaces.

4. Trenching windows: Excavation will be restricted to specified time windows, with work outside these periods requiring the municipal commissioner's approval and incurring an additional 10% reinstatement charge.

5. Mandatory digital mapping: Utility agencies will be required to maintain a GIS-based digital map of underground utilities, updating it within 30 days of completing work or facing restrictions on further trenching.

6. Streamlined road surface categories: The existing 16 categories of road surfaces will be reduced to two - cement-concrete and non-concrete, simplifying the calculation of reinstatement charges.

7. Access charge: A common access charge of Rs 20 per metre, along with GST, will be levied on all utility agencies.

8. Security deposit for horizontal directional drilling: An additional security deposit of Rs 15 lakh per kilometre will be required for horizontal directional drilling, which minimizes surface excavation while laying underground utilities.

The policy aims to improve road quality, enhance coordination among utility agencies, and streamline the reinstatement process.