The Hindu       13.11.2014 

EDMC prepares budget amid fund crunch

Amid a financial crunch, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) is preparing its budget for the next financial year while an analysis shows that only 38 per cent of this fiscal’s proposals have been fruitful.

The Hindu analysed 21 major proposals made by then Leader of the House B.B. Tyagi on February 2 this year. Out of the budget promises, eight proposals have not seen any progress, seven have been cleared, and six are under process.

Mr. Tyagi, who is the Standing Committee chairperson now, said on Tuesday that the corporation was indeed in a dire financial state.

“We have been forced to take loans to pay salaries of our employees and the Delhi government has not given us any help. We don’t have the funds to undertake all the development projects,” said the BJP leader.

Among the projects that have not worked out are community-run kitchens on the lines of the Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu, a nursing school in Khichripur, and a media centre at the EDMC headquarters in Patparganj.

The civic body had proposed an increase in the amount paid to widows for their daughters’ wedding from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000, but this could not be done for lack of funds.

Mr. Tyagi admitted that many of the proposals he presented in February would not be completed by March 31, 2015. He added that the civic body had the lowest income among the three municipal corporations.

The corporation is, however, working on building women’s toilets at busy markets at a cost of Rs. 1 crore, developing a CNG-powered furnace at the Karkardooma crematorium, and registering all banquet halls and farmhouses to increase revenue. A total of 20 sports academies are being developed across East Delhi and work on installing solar panels at municipal primary schools is also on.

As envisaged in the budget, the EDMC has started home delivery of birth and death certificates through Speed Post at a cost of Rs. 60 lakh.

A special window in both zones of the EDMC has also been started to add names on birth certificates within half an hour.