No citizens’ inputs for BMC budget

Mumbaiites will not be able to send in their proposals for the civic body’s 2020-21 budget, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ruled out seeking suggestions

Mumbaiites will not be able to send in their proposals for the civic body’s 2020-21 budget, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ruled out seeking suggestions from citizens to formulate the budget draft. In 2016, the then Congress corporator Ramashish Gupta had asked the BMC to seek citizens’ suggestions on drafting the budget.

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One of the reasons for ruling out the suggestions, as cited by the BMC, is that elected corporators represent the citizens, and the suggestions made by them are taken into consideration while drafting the budget.

“All administrative wards have Prabhag committees, which have their proposals for budget approved by the municipal commissioner. The Prabhag committees have elected corporators as members, who send in their suggestions that are taken into consideration while drafting the budget,” the BMC’s finance department said in its response to a recommendation made by Gupta.

Gupta’s proposal was on the lines of the state government’s 2015 announcement stating that it would seek suggestions from citizens on preparing Maharashtra’s budget.

Reacting on the BMC’s response, Gupta said, “There are many citizens who are intellectuals, and the BMC should have considered taking their opinion, as the state government had also called for citizens’ suggestions.”

Meanwhile, citizen activist Nikhil Desai, said, “It would not have been a big deal for the BMC to call for suggestions from the citizens and give them a 15-day period for the same...There could be some good suggestions coming from citizens, which could be incorporated in the budget.”