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Varanasi Nagar Nigam’s ₹1,631 cr budget deferred amid officials’ lapses
The total allocation includes an increase in the VNN budget from ₹1,281.33 crore to ₹1,380.43 crore and the Jalkal budget from ₹248.05 crore to ₹250.75 crore.
The revised budget of ₹1,631.52 crore for the Varanasi Nagar Nigam (VNN) and Jalkal department for the financial year 2025–26 was presented under the chairmanship of Mayor Ashok Tiwari during a Nagar Nigam House meeting held at Gandhi Bhawan, Town Hall, on Saturday. However, the discussion on the budget was postponed until further notice due to inadequate responses from officials regarding several budgetary provisions.
According to VNN public relations officer Sandeep Srivastava, the revised budget was presented by deputy chairman Narsingh Das. The total allocation includes an increase in the VNN budget from ₹1,281.33 crore to ₹1,380.43 crore and the Jalkal budget from ₹248.05 crore to ₹250.75 crore.
Srivastava said that several budget heads have seen notable increases. The maintenance of public toilets has been raised from ₹5 lakh to ₹7 lakh, the repair of Ganga ghats from ₹80 lakh to ₹1 crore, and the cleaning of sludge from ghats from ₹3 crore to ₹5 crore. Similarly, the disposal of dead animals has been increased from ₹15 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
During the meeting, mayor Ashok Tiwari expressed strong displeasure over the lack of information from officials regarding the total number of hotels, lodges, guest houses and dharamshalas operating in the city and the taxes collected from them.
The issue came up during the question session when corporator Suresh Kumar Chaurasia asked about the number of such establishments in the Kashi area and the tax revenue generated from them. As the concerned officer failed to provide a satisfactory reply, the mayor reprimanded tax assessment officer Shikha Maurya and directed her to collect complete details and present them in the next House meeting.
“Instructions have been given several times in the past to identify the number of hotels, lodges, and dharamshalas in the city area, but the work has not yet been completed,” the Mayor said, stressing that the task must be completed within the stipulated time.
