MCD budget promises all-round development

Keeping
in mind the municipal body election due early next year, the BJP-ruled
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday enhanced allocation of
funds for several heads promising all-round development of the city,
welfare of every section and its own employees in its budget estimate
for year 2011-12.

Though the body kept cribbing during 2010
about scarcity of funds alleging that appropriate funds were not
released by the Delhi Government, Standing Committee chairman Yogender
Chandolia also proposed 100 per cent hike in “discretionary expenses” of
chairman and Delhi Mayor.

Chandolia reasoned that the
allocation of funds under this head have been augmented due to the
inflation. Earlier, the Standing Committee chairman and the Delhi Mayor
would get Rs 5 crores and Rs 5.5 crores respectively, which have been
made Rs 10 crores and Rs 11 crores for this fiscal (2011-12).

While
presenting the marginal deficit budget of Rs 7.8 crores, the Standing
Committee chairman also created three new heads targeting improvement of
roads, sanitation services, maintenance works and streetlights under
which each councillor will get Rs 1.55 crore more for their respective
wards.

As per the provision, each corporator has been given Rs 50 lakh for development work in his ward every year.

A
special budgetary allocation of Rs 50 crores for providing civic
amenities in unauthorised colonies has also been made. But elected
members have been continuously complaining that the amount given to them
is not sufficient. The provision including funds for unauthorised
colonies will put extra burden of Rs 471.60 crores on the civic agency.

“Considering
their demand, we have introduced three new heads. According to demand
of the public, improvement of roads, sanitation and streetlights will be
carried out therefore we will give Rs 50 lakhs for roads, Rs 25 lakhs
for sanitation, Rs 75 for maintenance and Rs 5 lakh for streetlights to
each councillor this year,” said Chandolia.

As declared by the
BJP leader on December 8, 2010 when MCD commissioner KS Mehra presented
budget estimate, he turned down the commissioner’s proposal for 5 per
cent hike in property tax rate. In his finalised budget, he announced
the opening balance of the body will be Rs 308.23 crores and the MCD is
expecting to have Rs 6635.83 crores as income. The expenditure will be
Rs 6943.63 crores therefore the closing balance will be Rs 43.75 crores.

Chandolia said the deficit will be balanced by recovery of arrears of property tax.

He
said the MCD is still to recover Rs 712 crores from 4,816 properties.
“They have been issued notices to them and their names have also been
put on the MCD’s website as debtors. Soon, their name will also be made
public in the newspapers. The body will make every possible effort to
recover its dues and under old policy (up to March 2004), the arrears
are of Rs 1,346 crores,” he said.

The municipal commissioner has
expected to receive Rs 154 crores but in his budget estimate Chandolia
increased it by Rs 121 crores and said the total recovery of property
tax arrears will be Rs 275 crores.