PUNE: The General Body (GB) of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday witnessed a heated debate over the election code of conduct and the budget works.

For the second consecutive year, the PMC's annual civic budget execution is likely to remain incomplete with the election code of conduct has adding to the hurdles in budget execution.

The civic administration stated that as per the orders by the district election officer the tender process for development works have to be halted and no new decisions could be taken during the election code of conduct.

All party corporators objected to the order and asked the civic administration to communicate with the election officer on the matter.

Additional municipal commissioner Naresh Zurmure admitted that the budget execution was slow and that the administration has already written to the district election officer about the same. "However, the election officer has asked to strictly follow the election code of conduct and hence no meetings could be held and decisions taken," said Zurmure.

After approving the highest-ever annual budget of Rs 3,027.41 crore for 2009-10, the PMC has been able to implement only 60 per cent of the budget works till date, as the civic administration could achieve revenue collection of only Rs 1,951.54 crore against the total target.

"This year not even 60 per cent budget will be executed considering the speed with which the civic administration is working," said corporator Ujwal Keskar.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has already blamed the civic administration for the delay in executing the budget and demanded that the municipal commissioner take steps to make the administration work. The party had said it would launch a mass agitation against the administration.

The Election Commission of India on Monday announced the biennial/by-elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council. The schedule for Pune is polling on November 27 and counting on November 30.

With the announcement, the model Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates have come into immediate effect. It has imposed a restriction on state and central ministers from making any official visits to any district going for elections. No district officials, dealing with election-related work, shall be called by any minister to attend any meeting, even to a district not going for the elections.

No policy announcement or programme shall be initiated by the government departments related to the constituents of the election.