BMC won’t give corporators `1 crore development fund

The civic body also plans to cut the personal fund by 20%, save `200 crore.

Despite facing resistance last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will stick to its decision of not giving the development fund of Rs1 crore allotted to each corporator for civic development works in his respective ward.

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Moreover, the civic body also plans to slash the corporators’ fund, which was increased last year. This will help the civic body save at least Rs200 crore. Last year, citing cash crunch, the civic body had decided to set aside Rs 1 crore slotted for development of each of its 227 wards. This was apart from the Rs35 lakh given as corporator fund.

The decision did not go down too well with the elected representatives, as 2012 was the election year. Giving into pressure, civic chief Subodh Kumar had increased the corporators’ fund to Rs60 lakh so they could carry out minor development works in their respective wards.

However, the civic administration, which is giving final touches to the budget that is to be tabled in front of the newly formed standing committee by the end of March, is now contemplating to cut the amount by at least 20%.

“Kumar is of the view that corporators can suggest ward-level works to be undertaken from the funds allotted to the ward. There is no need to allot special funds to them,” said a civic official, requesting anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Mayor Shraddha Jadhav said in the absence of development fund, capital works of the ward would get affected. “We will definitely oppose this move once the budget is tabled in the civic general body,” she said.