Standing panel budget stalled

Pune Municipal Corporation budget will be in a limbo till May since a circular issued by the state government.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) budget will be in a limbo till May since a circular issued by the state government on Wednesday stated that the current standing committee does not have the power to table the civic body budget. It said the new civic body of elected representatives which will be formed in May will have the power to prepare and table the budget.

The circular was issued by P S Shete,deputy secretary,state government,and is addressed to commissioners of the 10 municipal corporations for which elections were held on February 16.

As per the circular,the first meeting of the new elected representatives will be held in March-April 2012. The validity of the current general body of the PMC is till the formation of the new GB…There is no restriction on holding the weekly meetings of the current standing committee,but,the committee will not be able to take any budgetary decision of the civic body.

Pune Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Pathak informed municipal secretary and department heads about the said circular. This means that the annual budget presented by the municipal commissioner last week will be implemented from April 1 when the new standing committee is formed. The Rs 3,290-crore budget tabled by the commissioner last week included various initiatives for women. About 38 per cent has been earmarked for development work and 21 per cent for expenditure on salaries of civic employees.

After the circular was issued,BJP city chief Vikas Mathkari held a press conference on Thursday and termed it illegal. The circular issued by the state government is illegal and unconstitutional. The current civic body is functional till March 12 midnight which means it has the right to make decisions,including budgetary, he said.

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