6 new wards added to Faridabad MC

Tribune News Service

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, January 16

The total number of wards under the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad has gone up from 40 to 46 after the recent ward delimitation process. It is likely to expand the scope of work and projects under the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad.

Poor financial health

• Sources in the district admn claim that the MC may face hurdles in carrying out development projects and maintenance of civic amenities
• They claim that the MC is dependent on grants by state government and have weak sources of internal income
• The internal income of the civic body accounted for only one-fourth of the total budget estimate of Rs 1,100 crore passed last year, according to the sources.

As the formal notification regarding the revision of wards was issued recently, the authorities concerned will also be taking up the issue regarding reservation for the SC and OBC categories, say sources.

Following the inclusion of 24 villages in the municipal limits in 2021-22, six new wards have been added to the urban civic body. Of these, three wards have been included in the Greater Faridabad area.

The delimitation process that was taken up last year has affected as many as 11 wards — ward number 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 22, 23, 40 and 41. Boundaries of these wards have been reframed to include or exclude some colonies and villages.

It is claimed that the MC and the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA) would be faced with an enhanced challenge of providing civic amenities like water, roads, sewerage, parks and their maintenance. It is learnt that it would require a budget of several hundred crore rupees each year.

Sources say the FMDA, which came up about two years ago, has already been given around 40 per cent of the civic works in the city.

The FMDA has also unveiled a plan to spend Rs 977 crore on the rejuvenation of the sewerage in the city.

Around 133 sq km of around 343 sq km of the sewage lines in the civic limits have either been transferred or is under process of being handing over from the Municipal Corporation to the FMDA. All the major projects have been handed over to the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority, said an official on condition of anonymity.

Sources in the district administration claim that the MC may face hurdles in carrying out development projects and maintenance of infrastructure to provide civic amenities.

They claim that the MC is largely dependent on grants by the state government and have weak sources of internal income. The internal income of the civic body is only one fourth of the total budget estimate of Rs 1,100 crore passed last year, according to sources.

MC Chief Engineer Birender Kardam said, “The civic body will take all possible measures to strengthen its sources of internal income to improve its financial condition and ensure that development works are not adversely affected.”

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