E-Paper
₹2.8K-cr budget passed in LMC House: Sparks fly over ‘graft’ in Smart City works
BJP corporator Nagendra Singh Chauhan proposed a hike in corporators’ quota to ₹2 crore, which was supported by BJP, SP and Congress counterparts
LUCKNOW A budget of ₹2.8K crore ( ₹2,865 cr) was passed by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) House during a special session on Friday amid protests by opposition and BJP corporators over the civic administration’s “poor handling” of the Smart City Project and sanitation initiatives.
The opposition, including members from the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Congress, raised concerns over alleged corruption amounting to crores of rupees in the Smart City project.
Samajwadi Party corporator Sayyed Yawar Husain said drainage and nullahs had been constructed needlessly. “After unnecessary construction of drainage and nullahs, Smart City officials might move on to other projects and the municipal corporation will be left responsible for future drainage maintenance. The elevation of roads in Lal Bagh and Qaiserbagh areas, causing shops to be on a lower level, shows that they have not cared for public opinion.”
As SP corporators accused the municipal administration of stopping waste collection in their wards, the mayor assured that proper waste management would be implemented within a month.
Highlighting supply of poor-quality water in his ward, BJP corporator Anurag Mishra asked Jal Sansthan GM Manoj Arya to drink the water that he brought in a bottle. However, the GM refused to consume it. Following this, Mishra drank the water, and thereafter his condition started deteriorating. The corporator had to be hospitalized.
CORPORATORS’ QUOTA
Mayor Sushma Kharakwal gave formulae of spending corporators’ quota, saying: “Corporators should spend 50% of their quota amount of ₹1.27 crore on civil works, 20% on streetlights, 15% on parks, 10% on vending zones and crossings and 5% on repair works like drains etc. This formula will be applicable for all types of funds.”
Opposition corporators created an uproar in the House, demanding an increase in quota to ₹2 crore. BJP corporator Nagendra Singh Chauhan proposed a hike to ₹2 crore, which was supported by BJP, SP and Congress corporators. On this, the mayor said that first the liability of ₹537 crore had to be settled. She formed a committee and directed it to study the corporators’ funds in all municipal corporations and said a decision to increase quota would be taken after that.
When some corporators created a ruckus in the House, the mayor hit back by saying that now a road register will be maintained for three years. “A record of all development works done during this period will be maintained. A company will be hired for this. Complete information about when a road was constructed the last time, when a park was maintained last time and at what cost would be tracked,” she said.
NO ROAD CONSTRUCTION WITHOUT LMC NoC
The LMC House passed a resolution on not permitting road construction without the municipal corporation’s NoC. If any department constructs a road within municipal limits, it will have to take NoC from the LMC. The mayor said many times different departments make the same road but now this issue will not arise after NoC.
There was an uproar over Prithvi Gupta’s comment over former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. After he said that Gandhi ran away from Rae Bareli, Congress corporators Mukesh Singh Chauhan and Mamta Chaudhary objected to it and had a heated exchange of words with BJP corporators.
Chauhan said Lucknow had dropped from 17th to 44th rank in Sanitation Index, indicating poor waste management of Lucknow.
MONEY WILL COME FROM
• ₹621 crore - house tax
• ₹10 crore - house tax from industrial areas
• ₹175 crore - Ahana Enclave (sale of flats)
• ₹75 crore - user charges
• ₹20 crore - CSR fund
• ₹200 crore - CM Grid Scheme
• ₹17 crore - parking contracts
• ₹15 crore - advertisement fee
WHERE IT WOULD BE SPENT
₹350 crore provision made in the last budget to clear the old dues of the contractors. It has been increased to ₹425 crore now.
₹240 crore - road repair and renovation
• ₹50 crore - beautification of cremation ground
• ₹50 crore - sanitation contract
• ₹270 crore - waste management
• ₹50 crore - construction of Ahana Enclave
• ₹27 crore - diesel and petrol
• ₹35 crore - construction of new cow sheds
• ₹100 crore - construction of shooting range
• ₹28 crore - maintenance and staff of parks
• ₹10 crore - works of Swachh Bharat Mission
• ₹7 crore - new work, repair and purchase of road lighting equipment
• ₹8 cr - cleaning of drains
• ₹200 lakh - vending zone operation and maintenance
