The Hindu 13.02.2013
Budget presentation delayed as Opposition members stage protest
As soon as the council meeting began here on Tuesday, Congress members, led by Leader of the Opposition Dasharath Wali and former Opposition leaders Deepak Chinchore and Ganesh Tagargunti raised objections claiming there were technical issues and flaws in the budget prepared by the Standing Committee on Tax Fixation, Finance and Appeals.
The Opposition members took objection claiming that thebudget had been prepared in a hurry.
‘Intimated late’
They said that though it was required to send the notice of the budget meeting to HDMC councillors a week in advance, they had received it late. This indicated that the budget was being presented in a hurry owing to the confusion regarding the date of elections to the urban local bodies.
They alleged that there were factual errors in the budget. Even the names of the standing committee members had not been mentioned in the printed copies of the budget estimates, they said and added that it wasn’t even clear who was going to present the budget.
Mr. Tagargunti and Mr. Chinchore said that the usual practice was to present the budget in the last week of February. The ruling party had broken tradition by trying to present an “election budget” just for the sake of wooing voters, they alleged.
They urged Mayor Pandurang Patil to present the budget after following all procedures and rectifying errors.
The Mayor, in turn, said there was no need to give such importance to technical errors and that it could be rectified immediately. He appealed to the Opposition members to allow the presentation of the budget.
However, the Opposition members rushed to the well of the house and again urged the Mayor to put off the budget presentation. When the Mayor stuck to his stand, they resorted to a dharna and raised slogans against the ruling party and the Mayor.
They continued to protest for nearly 40 minutes. Dr. Patil then adjourned the council meeting for 15 minutes.
When the meeting resumed, the Opposition leaders did not press for their earlier demand to be fulfilled. Subsequently, the Mayor asked Chairman of the Standing Committee on Tax Fixation, Finance and Appeals Shivu Hiremath to present the budget.
