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No new tax, project in Mohali MC’s ₹17 cr surplus budget
Mohali With no new project or tax announced, the Mohali municipal corporation General House in its last meeting of the five-year tenure approved ₹17 crore surplus budget for 2020-21 on Wednesday. While the expenditure has been pegged at ₹251.66 crore, the MC expects to earn a revenue of ₹268.
Mohali With no new project or tax announced, the Mohali municipal corporation General House in its last meeting of the five-year tenure approved ₹17 crore surplus budget for 2020-21 on Wednesday.
While the expenditure has been pegged at ₹251.66 crore, the MC expects to earn a revenue of ₹268.72 crore next fiscal.
In the past two fiscals, the MC had approved budget with ₹22.2 crore (2019-20) and ₹15 crore (2018-19) revenue deficit. Moreover, even as the civic body had projected ₹150 crore revenue in 2019-20, it received only ₹125 crore.
The term of the present MC House comes to an end on February 26. The Punjab government is set to dissolve it in the third week of February along with five other civic bodies in the state. After the dissolution, powers will be shifted to MC commissioner Kamal Kumar Garg.
“We will be focusing on increasing collection from various revenue sources, including building application fee, licence fee, and tehbazari fee. It can give us a boost of around ₹10 crore the next financial year,” said Garg.
37% EARNINGS TO COME FROM GMADA
However, at ₹100 crore, a major chunk of the expected earnings are to come from Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) in form of the dues for maintenance of parks, which have been pending for four years.
Congress councillor BB Maini objected to it, questioning the mayor that when the MC had failed to get the money in the past four years, how would it get it this year.
Meanwhile, the MC has pegged the municipal funds to be received from the state government at ₹66 crore. It also expects to earn ₹28 crore from property tax, ₹3 crore more than what was estimated in 2019-20.
However, additional excise duty collection estimates have been reduced to ₹3 crore from ₹8 crore. Other sources of revenue are advertisement tax ( ₹12 crore), water supply and sewerage charges ( ₹1.3 crore), building application fee ( ₹70 lakh), rent and tehbazari fee ( ₹60 lakh), and licence fee ( ₹45 lakh).
SOME DRAMA IN LAST MEETING
After Congress councillor Kuljeet Singh Bedi was not allowed to speak on the budget, his fellow party members objected to it and staged a walkout, only to return after addressing the media at the main door.
Councillor BB Maini alleged the MC had fudged the figures and Congress councillors were not being allowed to speak about it.
Later, chairing his last meeting, mayor Kulwant Singh, who belongs to the Shiromani Akali Dal, thanked everyone, adding: “In the past five years, we all have worked hard for the development of the city.”
Box
MOHALI MC BUDGET 2020- 21
While expenditure has been pegged at ₹251.66 crore, MC expects to earn a revenue of ₹268.72 crore next fiscal
MAJOR SPENDING
Road repairs: ₹30 crore
Construction of footpaths: ₹30 crore
Augmentation of water supply: ₹14 crore
Development of parks: ₹7 crore
Slaughter house facelift: ₹4 crore
MAJOR EARNING
GMADA dues: ₹100 crore
Punjab municipal funds: ₹66 crore
Property tax: ₹28 crore
Advertisement fee: ₹11 crore
Additional excise duty: ₹3 crore
