No tax hikes, no major development projects proposed in PCMC budget

The budget has a provision of Rs 101 crore for medical department, Rs 107 crore for health department, Rs 222 crore for education, and Rs 202 crore for urban poor and social welfare.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Feb 18, 2021 08:15 PM IST

At the civic headquarters in Pimpri, the PCMC chief presented his budget draft to Standing Committee Chairman Santosh Londe, who sought time to study the budget and make suggestions and objections. (Express Photo)

Ahead of the civic elections due in February next year, newly-appointed Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Patil on Thursday presented a surplus budget of Rs 5,588 crore, proposing no additional water or property taxes. With the central government projects, the total budget amount is Rs 7,112 crore.

At the civic headquarters in Pimpri, the PCMC chief presented his budget draft to Standing Committee Chairman Santosh Londe, who sought time to study the budget and make suggestions and objections.

Though it is an election year, the budget proposed no major development projects in view of the problems in tax collection this fiscal due to the lockdown.

After presenting his budget, Patil, while interacting with the media, said, “We will try to complete the ongoing projects as well as start a few new projects as mentioned in the budget.”

He added, “This year, our tax collection has been hit hard due to the lockdown being in force. Next fiscal, we hope to improve our tax collection… with support from local residents, civic employees, officials, NGOs and elected representatives, we will make every effort to make Pimpri-Chinchwad a world- class city”.

Patil said the civic body will also focus on assessing unassessed properties in Pimpri-Chichwad. “… This will help us in increasing our property tax collection,” he said.

Since the budget was prepared by former PCMC chief Shravan Hardikar, who was transferred recently, Patil, who joined on Monday, said he also needed time to study the budget and its proposals. “I will elaborate on the proposals later,” he said.

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Stating that his administration will lay stress on paperless governance, Patil said,”Efforts will be made to strengthen our network to collect taxes, via property, water and building permissions, to shore up our revenue.”

The PCMC chief said his administration was also planning to come up with social impact bonds. “These bonds can be floated for social measures like health,” he said.

The budget envisages collection of Rs 950 crore from property tax, Rs 520 crore from building permissions, Rs 95 crore from water tax and Rs 193 crore from interest of deposits.

For civil works and social security schemes, Rs 2,380 crore has been provided in the budget, while Rs 834 crore has been provided for central government schemes. “For water supply plans, the budget has reserved Rs 437 crore. All efforts will be made to ease the water travails of local residents…,” said the civic chief.

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The budget has a provision of Rs 101 crore for medical department, Rs 107 crore for health department, Rs 222 crore for education, and Rs 202 crore for urban poor and social welfare.

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Manoj Dattatrye More

Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis. Professional Legacy Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles. Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change. Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities. Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees. Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area: 1. Political Shifts & Alliances "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala. "BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls. "Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections. "NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections. 2. Civic & Administrative Accountability "PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions. "93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads. 3. Social & Labor Issues "As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse. Signature Beat Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport. X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More

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