Faridabad MC expects 20% hike in budget for engineering works

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, March 13

The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad is expecting a hike of around 20 per cent in its budget for the financial year 2024-25 for carrying out infrastructural works under its engineering branch.

As the civic body is set to take up works related to civic infrastructure, including roads, sewerage, water supply and solid waste disposal on a large scale, the authorities have demanded a budget of around Rs 250 crore for the upcoming financial year, revealed MC sources.

The overall service area of the MC rose by over 15 per cent after 24 villages were added to its jurisdiction last year. Thus the civic body will need more funds for laying the required basic infrastructure and the maintenance of the present network of roads, sewers and water supply in the city.

The number of civic wards in the city have also gone up from 40 to 45 in view of the rise in the population, stated an official.

The civic body has also proposed a budget of Rs 15 crore for the horticulture division which looks after the parks and green belts in a majority of the areas.

It is claimed while the overall population within the civic limits has been around 20 lakh, over 60 percent of the civic areas was still maintained by the MCF despite the fact that the state government had set up the new civic agency, Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA), in 2021-22 to share the burden the development works in the city.

Out of around 343 sq km that falls under the MC area, around 133 sq km has either been transferred or had been under process to be handed over to the FMDA from the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF), according to sources.

The state government had announced last year that all the major development works will be undertaken by the FMDA.

The agency is reported to have been chalking out plans for various development works related to roads, sewerage, water supply, drainage and transportation, whose accumulated cost could be up to Rs 800 crore, for the upcoming financial year, claim the sources in the administration.

MC Chief Engineer Birender Kardam said while higher funds have been sought, the civic body is awaiting approval from the authorities.

Rs 15 cr for horticulture

• The overall service area of the MC rose by over 15 per cent after 24 villages were added to its jurisdiction last year.
• The number of Municipal Corporation wards in the city has also gone up from 40 to 45 in view of the rise in the population.
• The civic body has also proposed a budget of Rs 15 crore for the horticulture division which looks after the parks and green belts in a majority of the areas.