Thane: Corporation tables budget, no new projects, tax increase this year

NCP, Congress corporators created a ruckus during budget presentation, demanding that the corporation should first report the status of implementation of the earlier budget before playing to the gallery

Thane Municipal Corporation tabled a budget estimate of ₹2,755 for 2021-22, which is a whopping ₹1,300 crore less than the revised estimate of ₹4,068 crore for 2020-21. The budget has no new project slated this year as the focus is merely on improving revenue and maintaining assets already created in the city. The budget will be reviewed mid-year when, depending on the financial and pandemic situation, new projects may be allotted. There is no increase in taxes.

Representational image.

Dr Vipin Sharma, the municipal commissioner, said, “This is a realistic budget. We will get a clear picture on the Covid-19 situation in the next few months. As of now, the budget is tabled based on the present situation; we will revise it midterm if the situation improves. There are no new projects undertaken this year, we will only focus maintaining the assets already created.”

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress corporators and members of the standing committee created a ruckus in the special meeting called for budget presentation in Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), in Maharashtra. They demanded that the corporation should first report the status of implementation of the earlier budget before playing to the gallery. The NCP and Congress members stood on the standing committee table and refused to allow the budget to progress while shouting anti-administration slogans.

Hanumant Jagdale, NCP corporator, said, “Every year we merely attend the budget presentation and approve it. There are huge promises of mega projects for the city while there is no actual implementation. Last year, despite allocations for corporators none of the corporators got any funds.”

Vikrant Chavan, Congress corporator, added, “The administration has tabled a list of civic works worth ₹455 crore before the committee; however, none of the work orders of the projects in the previous budget have been approved yet. We do not want any big false promises in the budget. The administration should give us the actual estimate of revenue loss last year and the status of the budget. We will not allow the budget to be presented until then.”

The budget presentation started amid all ruckus at 12.15pm.