The Prachachon Party announced its summary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) budget for 2027, halting electric vehicle (EV) garbage truck projects due to a lack of details and possible transparency issues, fearing that cuts to district investment budgets could affect residents. They will proceed with debates on the budget’s second and third readings on 15 September.
On 11 September 2026 at the Bangkok Metropolitan Council, Irrawat Pattana Building in Din Daeng district, the special committee from the Prachachon Party reviewing the draft annual BMA budget for 2027 held a joint press conference to summarize their findings.
Mr. Chatchai Moddee, councilor for Bang Na district from the Prachachon Party and chairman of the special committee, revealed that the committee's meetings have concluded. The overall budget exceeding 93 billion baht was reduced by more than 2.6 billion baht, with amendments of a similar amount reintroduced. The committee provided observations on various projects proposed by the BMA to develop Bangkok.
Mr. Chatchai added that this year marked the first time the BMA council’s special committee meetings on the budget draft were broadcast live via the BMA Secretariat’s Facebook and YouTube channels, allowing the public to follow all 23 sessions spanning over 250 hours.
Additionally, this was the first year the Prachachon Party included four external experts as special committee members reviewing the budget draft: 1. Mr. Sirot Klamphaiboon, a media professional, who offered public perspectives as committee observations; 2. Mr. Woraphop Wiriya-rot, a Prachachon Party policy analyst, who analyzed policies and advised the committee; 3. Mr. Arithat Yodchaikiat, another party policy analyst with extensive Bangkok experience, providing insights and feedback; and 4. Prof. Dr. Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, who analyzed structural and construction plans of the BMA’s civil, drainage, and other offices, bringing an engineering viewpoint to enhance the review’s comprehensiveness.
Prof. Dr. Amorn provided eight engineering observations and recommendations regarding the BMA’s civil budget. He noted that the civil budget is substantial, with the civil engineering office alone managing over 8 billion baht, plus tens of billions more dispersed across 50 district offices. These funds support infrastructure, drainage, and transportation directly impacting residents. The first observation concerns budget readiness, emphasizing the need for finalized construction plans, secured land rights, and actual site surveys before work begins.
The second observation highlights the relationship between project plans, budget allocations, and disbursement efficiency. Since many civil projects are large and multi-year, budgets must be well-prepared and disbursements managed efficiently.
The third suggestion is to establish a centralized database for public infrastructure, implementing a scoring system to assess deterioration of roads, bridges, drainage pipes, and embankments. Empirical data such as photos, videos, and deterioration scores should support budget allocation decisions, rather than relying solely on public complaints.
The fourth point advocates for integrated system planning; road or drainage improvements should consider the whole system rather than isolated spots—for example, repairing road damage only at the surface while the underlying base is compromised, or installing drainage pipes connected to canals and pumping systems comprehensively.
The fifth recommendation stresses preventive maintenance, prioritizing budget for pump readiness and pipe cleaning before flooding occurs, since prevention costs less than post-flood repairs.
The sixth observation calls for adopting innovations and AI to detect discrepancies in work volume reports and prices compared to construction plans, helping identify duplicate or inflated work and thus saving budget.
The seventh suggests adjusting performance indicators from output-based metrics—such as amount disbursed or meters of road built—to outcome-based measures, like the percentage reduction in flooding, complaint volumes, or accident risk points.
Lastly, the eighth recommendation is to set unified civil engineering standards across all 50 districts to ensure budget allocations adhere to consistent criteria, preventing situations where heavily damaged roads in some districts receive no funding while minor damages in others do.
Mr. Arithat explained the next steps, stating that the special committee’s report was officially endorsed today. The BMA council will convene on 15 September 2026 to consider and vote on the budget’s second and third readings, focusing on items with reductions or reservations.
Mr. Arithat revealed three key policy issues from the 2027 budget review. First, district office investment budgets have decreased by 15-25% compared to previous years, leading to many areas lacking funds to repair damaged roads, sidewalks, and alleys as in past years.
The second issue concerns BMA administration projects: nearly three months after the election, no projects clearly align with campaign policies. Many are continuations from the previous administration or lack continuity and clear project frameworks citywide.
The final point addresses the EV garbage truck projects. The Prachachon Party’s 15-member subcommittee supports transitioning to clean energy vehicles to save budget and reduce pollution, as previously proposed in the 2023 future bus bill. However, the three long-term EV garbage truck lease projects proposed in this year’s budget amendments were unanimously cut by the party due to incomplete details and lack of clear cost-effectiveness tests. These projects will be thoroughly debated in the BMA council’s second and third readings on 15 September.
At the conclusion, Mr. Chatchai invited the public to follow the Prachachon Party’s budget debates during the second and third readings on 15 September, to monitor progress and discussions on key projects reserved for further review, ensuring maximum budget efficiency for Bangkok residents.