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PMC presents ₹9,716 cr budget; commissioner to take final call
Questions raised over validity of budget as it was presented few hours before term of general body ended
PUNE Few hours before the term of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC’s) general body ended (on Monday), the standing committee chairman Hemant Rasne presented the budget of ₹9,716 crore for the year 2022-23, retaining most provisions mentioned earlier in the draft budget.
As the budget was presented amid the tenure of the house ending on Monday (March 14), questions were being raised over the validity of the chairman’s budget.
As per the process, the municipal commissioner first presents the draft budget and hands it over to the standing committee, which discusses all the provisions and prepares the final budget, which is approved by the general body. Usually, the process takes two weeks to three weeks.
This time, municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar had presented the ₹8,592 crore draft budget on March 7. The standing committee added Rs1,124 crore and presented the budget of ₹9,716, which focuses on creating more road networks in the city, flyovers and an additional element of developing existing lakes in the city.
As per the law, after the commissioner’s draft budget, PMC general body needs to empower the standing committee to prepare the final budget. After getting the powers, the standing committee chairman can present the budget at least after seven days. As the tenure of the house was getting over on March 14, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not able to follow the process.
Considering the technical issues involved in the process, BJP decided to go ahead and present the budget on the last day by introducing some populist announcements ahead of civic polls.
Rasne said, “We have given suggestions to the municipal commissioner’s budget as a standing committee chairman. As the tenure of the elected members is over, we are not able to call a general body meeting. Now, the municipal commissioner has all the powers to approve the budget.”
The legislative assembly and legislative council unanimously passed two bills last week, which would lay the grounds for the postponement of local body elections in Maharashtra till the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation is restored.
Interestingly opposition parties who were against BJP’s move to present the budget did not oppose this time as the standing committee chairman promised to approve their projects and allot funds for their wards.
Vishal Tambe, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, who is a standing member, said, “Though standing committee approved the budget, it would not be considered as approved till the general body gives a nod.”
“As the ruling BJP had given nod to commissioner’s budget, now the administration is free to execute commissioner’s budget,” he said.
Both general body and standing committee meetings were called on the last day. After the end of the general body meeting, the standing chairman submitted the budget to the standing committee.
