Grant funds to MC: Badnore

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 14

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore has written to the Centre asking it to grant funds to the cash-starved Municipal Corporation based on the recommendations of the 4th Delhi Finance Commission.

Before this, the MC House had approved the same and sent it to the administration.

“The Administrator has written to the Centre regarding funds on the recommendations of the 4th Delhi Finance Commission,” MC Commissioner KK Yadav said.

If the recommendations are approved by the Centre, the MC will get Rs 1,024 crore grant in the annual budget. For the present fiscal, the corporation was sanctioned only Rs 375 crore, of which Rs 100 crore is for the Smart City mission.

The MC in its meeting in February this year had approved a budget of around Rs 1,260 crore, while the corporation’s earnings is of about Rs 250 crore.

Of the total Rs 525 crore in its kitty, the MC spends about Rs 492 crore on salaries and committed liabilities. Thus, it often seeks additional funds from the UT Administration due to which the city’s development and maintenance works get affected.

Often contractors are seen struggling hard to get their payment released for the works they have done in the city. Many of them have already left the work midway. Due to lack of funds, re-carpeting of roads, maintenance of parks, toilets, cleaning of road gullies, sanitation work, construction and renovation of community centres are stuck.

The 4th Delhi Finance Commission in its report submitted in 2014 had recommended an increase in the MC’s share in the UT revenue from 17.5 per cent to 30 per cent.

Earlier, taking note of the pathetic financial condition of the civic body, the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) on Home Affairs has expressed its “anguish over shortfall of approximately Rs 682 crore” in the allocation of funds for the civic body for 2018-19 fiscal.

Guv to address MC House

UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore will address the gathering at the MC House meeting on August 30. Officials said they would thank him for taking up the matter further.

Total Rs 525 crore in civic body’s kitty

• Of the total Rs 525 crore in its kitty, the MC spends about Rs 492 crore on salaries and committed liabilities. Thus, it often seeks additional funds from the UT Administration due to which the city’s development and maintenance works get affected.
• The 4th Delhi Finance Commission in its report submitted in 2014 had recommended an increase in the MC’s share in the UT revenue from 17.5 per cent to 30 per cent.