NDMC budget: No increase in property tax of VVIP areas

In her speech,NDMC chairperson Archna Arora said the budget for 2012-13 is aimed at asset creation which will be beneficial to NDMC both in terms of civic infrastructure and increasing receipts in the long term.

“The pace of infrastructure development was very high and creation of capital assets was large in numbers during the last three years. Now is the time to maintain these assets with increased levels of quality bench marks using latest technology as per international standards,” she said.

Outlining its revenue proposals,Arora said,the budget “propose no increase in property tax rates in the next year” and the civic body plans to collect Rs 259.98 crore as property tax in the next fiscal.

The civic body also plans to collect Rs 268.89 crore as licence fee,Rs 702.53 crore from power supply and Rs 113.60 crore from water supply.

Later,Arora told reporters that a detailed roadmap for revamp of electrical system has been prepared and that the NDMC has no plans to recommend hike in water or power tariffs.

The NDMC is also working towards ensuring uninterrupted water supply in the next 5-8 years,she said.

The budget also proposed retro-fitting and strengthening of drainage system after a comprehensive CCTV survey and de-silting in the next fiscal.

Arora said the redevelopment of Connaught Place will be completed in the next couple of years.

In its bid to provide better sanitation facilities,the NDMC will also build 35 new public toilets for which locations have been identified.

On the education front,the civic body will set up computer labs in all the 25 primary schools. A bio-metric based system for employees’ attendance is also proposed in the new fiscal.

The NDMC will also bring additional services under IT-enabled environment for citizen facilitation and convenience like approval for mutation,conversion and building plans,payments of utility bills and processing RTI among others.

For the upgradation and renovation plans of markets,the NDMC plans to take up work in eight more markets. It also proposes to provide space to install ATM facility in all its markets in the next fiscal.

To tackle fire incidents,the NDMC plans to convert the existing automatic fire alarm and detection system into addressable or semi-addressable microprocessor based fire alarm and detection system in all the high-rises as well as special buildings of the civic body.

In a move aimed at helping elderly,the NDMC also proposes to enhance old age pension from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 for those who are above 70 years.