Indian Express 09.11.2010
Civic body wrong about Rs 800-cr deficit, says Nilesh Nikam
Express News Service Tags : Pune Municipal Corporation, PMC, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010, 06:19 hrs
A week after the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claimed it was facing a deficit of Rs 800 crore in the current fiscal, NCP leader Nilesh Nikam said a wrong projection had been given by the civic administration and there was no reason for such a huge deficit.
He said on Monday the civic body is liable to get Rs 429 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Rs 300 crore as bank loans, there should be no worry about a deficit budget and there would be no problems in carrying out development works earmarked in the budget.
Last week, PMC additional commissioner Naresh Zurmure had said that against the civic budget of Rs 3,200 crore, going by the earnings so far, revenue was not likely to cross Rs 2,400 crore.
“The civic administration perhaps failed to take into account the JNNURM funding and the loan amount, which adds up to Rs 729 crore. So there is no question of a deficit of Rs 800 crore. The civic administration has projected wrong figures, as it lacks confidence in completing civic works in time,” Nikam said. He added the revenue targets given to the building permission department as well as the octroi department have already been met.
He also said the PMC would be able to complete all capital works. “The NCP will strive to complete the projects this year. Similarly, of the Rs 50 crore target, the fire brigade has been able to collect Rs 41 crore by the end of October,” he said.
After the civic officials projected the deficit, BJP leader Mukta Tilak had said that the ruling partners in the civic body, the NCP and the Congress, had failed to get adequate funds from the state and the centre. “The ruling parties in PMC have put the city in jeopardy. The deficit will have an adverse impact on civic infrastructure like water supply, roads and drainage,” she had said and demanded immediate steps by the civic body to tide over the crisis.
