Budget: North MCD holds off on fresh taxes, keeps provisions to increase parking

Standing committee chairman Jogi Ram Jain said the civic body will take measures to boost the public health infrastructure in light of the Covid pandemic, and added that no new taxes will be imposed. He also said that the civic body will create parking space for 13.500 cars in the next two years

In view of the surge in Covid-19 cases in Delhi, and the resultant restrictions, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, for the first time, discussed its budget proposals online on Wednesday.

None of the three civic bodies are expected to levy any new tax since Delhi is due for municipal polls in April this year. (Picture for representation only)

Standing committee chairman Jogi Ram Jain said the civic body will take measures to boost the public health infrastructure in light of the Covid pandemic, and added that no new taxes will be imposed. He also said that the civic body will create parking space for 13.500 cars in the next two years.

None of the three civic bodies are expected to levy any new tax since Delhi is due for municipal polls in April this year.

“The parking projects are in various stages of execution at places such as Shiva market, Pitampura, Gandhi Maidan, Qutub Road, Sant Nagar, Rani Bagh, Idgah Road, Shalimar Bagh and Karol Bagh. Work on most of the major projects has already been started,” Jain said.

“We are also setting up stack parking lots at Hanuman Setu near Nigambodh Ghat and Fatehpuri,”he said.

Explaining the proposals of the Budget to the House, Jain referred to the ongoing financial crisis being faced by the civic body and referred to the trifurcation of the MCD. “The financial assistance assured to the corporation at the time of trifurcation was never released. We cannot say if trifurcation led to additional burden for the Centre or the state government but it led to acute deterioration in the financial situation of three civic bodies,” he added.

Jain also announced that one family member of all corporation employees who died during service amid the ongoing pandemic will be given a job on compassionate grounds. “An amount of ₹10 lakh will also be given to the family members of such employees. Also, additional insurance to the employees working on daily wage and contract basis will be implemented,” Jain added.

He said to boost health infra the civic body was adding more than 500 oxygen support beds at its hospitals. He added that oxygen plants were being made functional at Hindu Rao, Rajan Babu, Maharishi Valmiki and Girdhari Lal hospitals. “At Hindu Rao hospital, ICU beds are being escalated to 50 from the current 10, and 20 additional ICU beds will be provided for children. At Rajan Babu TB hospital, 20 ICU beds and 10 high dependency unit beds are being added; and 60 oxygen beds will be provided for paediatric Covid care at Girdhari Lall hospital,” he added.

The cash-strapped civic body has recycled several of its old projects in the budget for 2022-23. While no tax has been levied, the budget also proposes to remove the provision of 2% tax rebate for online filing for property tax. “Most of the tax return process has moved to online mode so this 2% rebate no longer makes sense,” Jain said.