Amended BMC budget approved
AMID OPPOSITION by Mayor Sunil Sood and Congress corporators, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation?s general council today approved the budget after introducing 14 amendments. Sood had presented his second budget of Rs 846.57 crore for fiscal 2006-07 on Friday. However, there was no change in the budget amount due to these amendments.
AMID OPPOSITION by Mayor Sunil Sood and Congress corporators, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s general council today approved the budget after introducing 14 amendments. Sood had presented his second budget of Rs 846.57 crore for fiscal 2006-07 on Friday. However, there was no change in the budget amount due to these amendments.
As expected, the Bharatiya Janata Party corporators introduced 14 amendments in the Mayor’s budget proposals despite pleas by Sood on financial discipline and the Municipal Corporation Act rules regarding financial powers.
The amendments proposed by the BJP members included increase in corporator’s discretionary fund to Rs 5 lakh each from Rs 4 lakh as proposed by the Mayor.
Other amendments included provision of Rs 66 lakh as the discretionary fund of BMC chairman, allotment of funds worth Rs 4 lakh each to six aldermen (appointed corporators), increase in zonal quota at Rs 1 lakh per ward from proposed Rs 50,000 per ward, expenditure of 50 per cent educational cess in the particular wards where it was collected, expenditure of entire integrated tax in the particular ward where it was collected, allotment of Rs 2 lakh to every ward from the road maintenance fund and increase to Rs 25 lakh from proposed Rs 10 lakh for the construction of Bharat Mata Mandir.
Besides, the BJP corporators also proposed curtailment of funds for certain works proposed by the Mayor. The curtailment proposals were introduced so that the increased expenditure due to above amendments could be compensated. Due to these amendments, there was need of additional fund of Rs 3.36 crore, which was arranged through curtailments.
These amendments included reduction of expenditure on computerisation from Rs 2 crore to Rs 80 lakh, curtailment of expenditure on diesel and oil worth Rs 1 crore, curtailment of funds worth Rs 10 lakh allotted to school construction, curtailment of Rs 4 lakh from the funds allocated for the construction of platforms in Bittan Market, curtailment of Rs 9 lakh allocated for the development of parking space in New Market and curtailment of Rs 1 lakh from the funds allocated for monorail.
This would arrange the required Rs 3.36 crore. Besides, the heads of some funds were changed from headquarter quota to ward quota. This was done since the road maintenance fund to the tune of Rs 2 lakh each was allotted to the ward and education cess would be spent in the wards.
Total Budget Amount: Rs 846.57 crore
Budget Deficit: Rs 35.64 crore
Some changes in the budget proposals:
1 Increase in corporator’s discretionary fund to Rs 5 lakh each. The Mayor had proposed Rs 4 lakh each.
2 Provision of Rs 66 lakh as the discretionary fund of BMC chairman. The Mayor had made no provision of this fund.
3 Allotment of funds worth Rs 4 lakh each to six aldermen (appointed corporators). The Mayor had made no provision of this fund.
4 Increase in zonal quota at Rs 1 lakh per ward. The Mayor had proposed Rs 50,000 per ward.
5 Expenditure of 50 per cent educational cess in the particular wards from where it was collected. The Mayor had not made any proposal in this regard.
5 Expenditure of entire integrated tax in the particular ward from where it was collected. The Mayor had proposed to spend the fund as headquarters fund.
6 Allotment of Rs 2 lakh to every ward from the road maintenance fund. This was headquarters’ fund.
7 Increase to Rs 25 lakh from proposed Rs 10 lakh for the construction of Bharat Mata Mandir.