The administration will be shortly preparing a proposal to be placed before both the standing committee and the general body for approval. The project costs have now shot up to Rs 1,000 crore from the initial Rs 614 crore. Yet, Nalinakshan admitted that the BMC would have to ``face the situation'' and eventually implement the project as no other solution to flooding seems to be in sight.

Nalinakshan also approached Jagmohan when the union Urban Development minister visited the city last week, requesting him to provide the corporation financial assistance to implement the project.``We have asked for the entire amount of Rs 1,000 crore. However, even if we get a part of it, we can get the project going,'' said Nalinakshan. Chief Minister Narayan Rane also put in a word for the BMC.

Jagmohan reportedly told Nalinakshan he would consider the proposal and call for a meeting on the issue of disbursing the money. And in case Jagmohan declines, Nalinakshan says he will pull out the money from the Rs 1,000 crore which successive Chief Ministers have been demanding from the Centre for developmental works for Mumbai.

The administration is also considering clubbing the BRIMSTOWAD with other projects under the mega-city plan. If the state implements the mega-city plan, the Centre and state government will each pump in 25 per cent of the total cost of the plan while the rest will be borne by the BMC.

Ironically, when the project was submitted in 1993, civic officials had carped about pumping in so much money for a project what would be in use for just four months a year. They however, agreedto accept part of the project costing Rs 250 crore which related to improving drainage. Although work started in 1995 and is expected to be wrapped up by 2000, just 30 per cent of the project has been completed. And Rs 140 crore has already been expended.

This year's budget too made no provision for works under this project. Deputy municipal comissioner in charge of engineering, N B Achrekar informed that he had demanded Rs 70 crore for new works and Rs 60 crore for completing the ongoing works. Citing a deficit, no provision was made for new works, while for ongoing works, the amount has been reduced to Rs 32 crore. The BMC clearly hopes to wave the magic wand of BRIMSTOWAD to plug the annual rite of monsoon flooding in the city. In 1985, floods were estimated to have caused a loss of Rs 100 crore per day. Although civic officials couldn't quote recent figures, they concurred that losses would have definitely gone up with the rise in the price index.