MCD busy with budget proposal

Despite decks being cleared for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) trifurcation, the civic agency is busy preparing budget proposals for the next financial year. Neelam Pandey reports.

Despite decks being cleared for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) trifurcation, the civic agency is busy preparing budget proposals for the next financial year.

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According to MCD officials, the budget exercise being carried out by all the departments will prove to be futile, as after the split, separate budgets will have to be prepared for all three corporations - north, south and east.

According to sources, with all departments busy with the budget proposals, the day-to-day activity and projects are suffering. Also, with no clarity over asset and ward division, the civic agency is not sure as to what each corporation will get.

After getting the home ministry's approval, the Delhi government has called for a special house on Wednesday to pass the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2011.

"It is a sheer loss of manpower. Now, that the trifurcation has been approved by the home ministry and the Bill will be passed in the Delhi Assembly, MCD budget proposals hold no value. Once the trifurcation process gets over, the budget exercise will have to be carried out again for all three corporations. Currently, we have kept all the projects aside and are working on the budget proposals," said a senior MCD official, who did not want to be named.

However, the civic agency claims it is mandatory for it to carry out the exercise. "As per the Delhi Municipal Act (DMC) Act, it is mandatory to present the budget proposal before December 10. We are just following it," said YS Mann, director press and information, MCD.

"It is a futile exercise. The budget has become a mockery. In the next two months, the budget will be discussed. But by then, the trifurcation will have already taken place. A joint meeting should be held among the home ministry, Delhi government and MCD, wherein it should be resolved that an interim budget is prepared only for three months," said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman of the MCD works committee.