Indian Express 10.11.2010
State owes civic body Rs 1,084 cr
sharvaripatwa Tags : BMC, Medical Education Posted: Wed Nov 10 2010, 06:02 hrs
Mumbai: Among the pending dues to the cash-starved BMC is Rs 1,084 crore from the state government, the debt calculated as on July 2010.Most of the debt, over Rs 820 crore, is in the form of grants the state has to provide the BMC. The highest is owed by the Education, Housing and Public Health departments; other debtors include Home, Women and Child Welfare, Revenue & Forests, and Law & Order.
The rest of the debt comprises various taxes, including property (Rs 60 crore) and water and sewerage (Rs 184 crore), on state properties. The departments from which taxes are pending include Industries, Medical Education and General Administration.
“These amounts have been pending with the state for three to four years and we have sent at least four to five requests to those departments. Many development projects are pending or delayed and work can be expedited if the state releases these funds,” a BMC official said.
Another official said, “Usually this is routine; there are dues outstanding both ways. But we keep making requests occasionally. The last communication was three weeks ago and we are hoping some funds will be released.”
“The BMC often requests some MLAs to raise demands in the Assembly and urge the government to release pending funds,” said Ravindra Waikar, MLA and Shiv Sena corporator. “In the last session I demanded the release of about Rs 700 crore pending from Education and other departments. It seems that the government does not have enough funds to pay BMC dues.”
