The municipal corporation’s own committed liabilities form around Rs 500 crore a year, an amount they have received as grant in aid from the administration. (File Photo) DESPITE HAVING been allocated Rs 502 crore in hand in the Union Budget, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation General House on Friday approved a budget of Rs 1,627 crore, almost three times more.
Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma said that the budget they passed this year for fiscal 2021-22 offers no new taxes for residents.
Of the Rs 1,627 crore budget, Rs 443 crore has been passed under the capital head, and Rs 1,184 crore under the revenue head for the financial year 2021-22. During the budget meeting, councillors proposed a welfare fund and one for smart schools. A Rs 2 crore provision was proposed for smart school.
Despite being unable to manage primary education, following which they had to return the department to the Administration, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation wants to make a smart school for children who cannot afford education. For this, they want to keep a provision of Rs 2 crore in the budget.
Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat said that the Municipal Corporation should ensure that they get the funds of the budget that are being passed under the various heads.
Committed liabilities
The municipal corporation’s own committed liabilities form around Rs 500 crore a year, an amount they have received as grant in aid from the administration.
Committed liabilities include expenses like electricity, water, salaries and pension of employees — expenditure which they cannot ignore.
Remaining, if any, would be spent on development works of the city. The municipal corporation handles roads of the city, water supply, waste disposal, sewerage and various other civic works in the city.
The Municipal Corporation’s own expected revenue is really low as compared to the budget it has prepared. From petrol pumps, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation aims to earn Rs 130 crore while from property tax it expects to earn Rs 50 crore.
From water tariff and sewerage cess imposed by it, the civic body aims to earn around Rs 150 crore while it is expecting an earning of around 130 crores from other receipts.
