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F&CC looks at Patiala MC’s budgetary proposals worth ₹137 crore
At least ₹83.20 crore will be spent on committed expenses including payment of salaries and pensions, ₹51.45 crore will be spent on development works, and ₹2.80 crore for contingency expenses
The municipal corporation (MC) of Patiala held a special finance and contract committee (F&CC) meeting to discuss the annual budgetary proposals before tabling the same in the General House for final approval on March 16.
Of total proposed budgetary allocations of ₹137.45 crore for the next financial year, at least ₹83.20 crore will be spent on committed expenses including payment of salaries and pensions, ₹51.45 crore will be spent on development works, and ₹2.80 crore for contingency expenses.
An official, pleading anonymity, said that top functionaries have taken a serious note of the low income generation in the ongoing fiscal.
“The heads of different departments have been asked the reasons behind poor performances so that corrective steps can be initiated,” the official added. The civic body has achieved only 54% of its income generation target.
Against the proposed income of ₹130 crore in 2019-2020, the MC has generated only ₹71.41 crore so far. The income heads including property tax, building department, advertisement branch, water supply and sanitation departments are among the worst performers.
MC commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said that besides discussing future budgetary proposals, performance of different departments and branches were reviewed as far as low income generation is concerned.
“In the review, it came to fore that there are multiple reasons behind departments falling short of their respective targets. For instance, in case of property tax, the target of ₹28.50 crore was wrongly set last year. The Patiala MC can generate a maximum of ₹18-19 crore from this income head. We have asked to the officials concerned to correct the figures in the financial budgetary allocations for coming session,” the commissioner said.
She added that in case of building department, the change in land utilisation policy is one of the main reasons behind lower collection of building application fee. “Moreover, the people are waiting for the state government one time settlement scheme for illegal buildings, which is in pipeline,” she said.
Meanwhile, mayor Sanjeev Sharma Bittu said that officials have been directed to focus on income generation so that the civic body does not face any inconvenience in meeting its committed expenditures.
Bittu said among other decisions, the finance and contract committee meeting has given nod for development works worth ₹12 crore, to dismantle unsafe buildings indentified by building departments, to initiate anti-encroachment drives, and other plans.
