The Hindu        21.11.2014  

East Delhi civic body financially unviable, says commissioner

Increasing deficits and falling revenues were the highlights of East Delhi Municipal Corporation Commissioner Manish Gupta’s budget presentation on Thursday.

Mr. Gupta began his presentation of the revised budget estimates for 2014-2015 and budget estimates for 2015-2016 by emphasising the precarious financial condition of the EDMC. The civic body has been struggling to pay salaries of employees for months.

The civic body’s deficit for 2014-2015 was revised from Rs.468.34 crore to Rs.612.33 crore, which is expected to increase to Rs.682.07 crore. The Commissioner said the EDMC was not sustainable and would need huge grants from the government to survive.

“There is an inherent and systemic problem in the EDMC’s finances. The revenue generation cannot match the expenditure,” said Mr. Gupta, who is also the commissioner of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

He said the revenue potential of the EDMC was less than its North and South Delhi counterparts. East Delhi does not have top category colonies, where property tax rates are higher. South Delhi, in comparison, has many such colonies and has more ‘lucrative’ spots in terms of advertising and parking revenue.

Mr. Gupta demanded that the Delhi Government fulfil the budgetary shortfall and write off past loans as grants. “We are demanding a Rs.600 crore subsidy per year from the Delhi Government,” he said.

Meanwhile, the budget proposals included increasing revenue by hiking the base unit area value for property tax assessment by 45 per cent and introducing new cesses like professional and betterment taxes. But, even if these are implemented, the hikes will not dent the deficit, said the Commissioner.

There is an inherent and systemic problem in the EDMC’s finances. The revenue generation cannot match the expenditure”

“There is an inherent and systemic problem in the EDMC’s finances. The revenue generation cannot match the expenditure”

The Hindu        21.11.2014  

MCC premises to be plastic-free zone

Mayor R. Lingappa and councillors taking an oath to desist from using plastic in the Mysore City Corporation office on Thursday.— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

The tourist city is going all out to emerge as a plastic-free destination. After the authorities declared places of tourist interest like the Chamundi Hills, palace and zoo as a plastic-free zone, the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has banned the use of plastic on its premises with effect from Thursday.

Consequently, there will be no use of plastic sheets or stationery wrapped in plastic, plastic files, bags, water bottles or drinking cups. Those entering the premises will have to deposit any plastic material in a special bin provided for the purpose.

MCC Commissioner C.G. Betsurmath said the concept of plastic-free zones will be extended to all nine zonal offices.

Mayor R. Lingappa, elected councillors and staff took an oath to desist from using plastic as it was harmful to the environment.

The authorities said they were systematically enforcing the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011 related to authorisation, manufacturing, recycling and disposal of plastic and creating public awareness in this regard.

Frequent raids have been conducted in the city by the MCC to discourage manufacturers and sellers from seizing plastic bags below 40 microns.

Social activist Vasanthkumar Mysoremath said it was easier to declare an office premise as plastic-free. But the need of the hour was to reduce the use of plastic in the entire city.

He said the city should be declared plastic-free given the environmental hazards of the material. In Mysuru, there are scores of departmental stores and thousands of people who use plastic bags daily. “The MCC has no idea where all these plastic goes and hence the authorities should target high-end departmental stores, which is patronised by a large number of people,: he said. While the authorities have been successful in minimising plastic menace at the zoo and palace, it has been the same at Chamundi Hills.