₹4,950-cr ‘practical’ budget for Navi Mumbai; no tax hike

NMMC commissioner presents ₹4,950-crore surplus budget for 2024-25 with focus on major projects, environment, transportation, and social welfare; no tax hike for 24 years.

STRAP: Stress on completion of major projects, environment, transportation and social welfare

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Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) commissioner and administrator Rajesh Narvekar on Tuesday presented a ₹4,950-crore surplus budget for the financial year 2024-25. In the absence of civic elections from 2020, the budget will not require the sanction of the general body for the fourth year in a row.

The highlight of the budget is once again no hike in taxes, which has been the case for the past 24 years. This was a promise given by former minister and now Airoli MLA Ganesh Naik, who controlled the civic body for years. He had again given a representation to the civic body not to hike taxes. “By not raising taxes, we have accorded top priority to citizens,” declared Narvekar.

Presenting what he called a “practical and welfare budget”, the commissioner said, “Along with health and education, our stress is on cleanliness, environment, transportation and social welfare schemes. Ongoing projects will be completed at the earliest with no compromise on quality.” The projects planned include the long-pending Ghansoli-Airoli creek bridge. Also on the anvil are new electric buses, a Swacchata Park and upgradation of fire infrastructure to keep up with the exigencies of high-rises.

Narvekar mentioned that the LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) survey initiated by NMMC to identify properties not on record had been completed. “It has helped us achieve our target of ₹800-crore property tax this financial year and will increase to ₹900 crore in the next,” he said.

Talking about tackling the water shortage in the city and reports of water being diverted to other cities by MIDC, the commissioner said, “Some water is being given to other cities for infrastructure development, since they don’t have a source of water like us. We are, however, in touch with the government to rectify the situation.” He added that around 40 mld of treated water would be supplied to industries by the end of the next financial year from Navi Mumbai’s tertiary treatment plants, thereby saving potable water. With future water requirements likely to increase from 500 mld to 950 mld, the civic body has already approached the government to source more water from the Bhira Hydroelectric project, Patalganga river water, and Kundalika river water.

With regard to pollution concerns, Narvekar said that NMMC had undertaken dust mitigation measures by purchasing multipurpose sprayers and dust-suppression vehicles. “New air-quality monitoring systems have been installed, green nets have been made mandatory at construction sites, and we also have plans to convert crematoriums into electric, CNG and PNG crematoriums,” he said. “Penalties are being levied on pollution-creators and we are in touch with MIDC to curb industrial pollution.”