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Mohali MC approves ₹190 crore budget for 2023-24
Mohali MC has set aside ₹18 crore for road carpeting and maintenance; estimates to be sent to Punjab local bodies department for final approval
Steering clear of any new taxes, the Mohali municipal corporation approved a budget of ₹190 crore for the financial year 2023-24 at the House meeting on Friday.
As per the budget estimates, the civic body expects to earn ₹189.44 crore, while the estimated expenditure is ₹185.44 crore, translating into a surplus of ₹4 crore.
The budget will be sent to the Punjab local bodies department for final approval.
Last year, while the Mohali MC had proposed a budget of ₹161 crore for 2022-23, the department had approved only ₹136 crore, imposing a cut of ₹25 crore.
During the Friday meeting, held under the chairmanship of mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu, the House was informed that while ₹67 crore will be spent on salaries and pension, at ₹18 crore, a major chunk of the expenditure will be set aside for road carpeting and maintenance.
Further, MC also plans to spend ₹16 crore on developing a stronger network of footpath to make the city pedestrian friendly. Another ₹20 crore have been earmarked for miscellaneous development works and ₹5 crore for purchase of machinery. The civic body will also spend ₹3 crore for upkeep of parks.
At ₹95 crore, MC is expecting half of its annual income from Punjab Municipal Funds.
Besides, it hopes to earn ₹33 crore from property tax receipts. Another ₹33 crore is expected to come in from advertisements, up from ₹11 crore in the last fiscal.
Cap on tehbazaari recovery charges
The MC House approved revision of composition fee of the tehbazaari wing and categorised the recovery price of each item. Further, it capped the fine for encroachments by street vendors at ₹5,000.
₹42 crore to be spent on mechanical sweeping in 5 years
MC also decided to spend ₹42 crore on mechanical sweeping cleaning over the next five years. Apart from the main “A” and “B” roads of Mohali, mechanical sweeping will be carried out in other areas of the city as well. The mayor said under the project, road berms will also be cleaned. In this regard, four machines will be procured from GMADA funds and provided to the contractor.
Solid-waste management project to be revived
After Mohali’s repeated poor show in the annual Swachh Survekshan rankings, primarily due to shoddy waste management, the civic body has finally begun work on the long-pending solid-waste management plant at Samgauli village in Dera Bassi.
After giving the project its go-ahead during the House meeting on Friday, MC has invited expressions of interest for setting up the plant. Notably, Mohali MC had prepared the detailed project report (DPR) in 2010, with an estimated cost of ₹100 crore. But the project had been hanging fire due to litigation.
Currently, Mohali generates 170 metric tonnes (MT) of garbage daily, which is being dumped at an unauthorised site in Industrial Area, Phase 8B, much to the chagrin of residents of nearby areas and commuters.
Councillors decry agenda details not made public
Pandemonium prevailed in the House as several councillors criticised the civic body officials and mayor for not making the agenda public. They said the MC website was also not functional.
Ward Number 34 councillor Sukhdev Singh Patwari complained about water logging following rain. Besides, Rishav Jain, councillor of Ward Number 20, along with other councillors, highlighted encroachments by street vendors. Jain also demanded that councillors be kept in loop for anti-encroachment drives.
