MC Budget: Subsidised water still a dream for Solan residents

Ambika Sharma

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Solan, March 7

Solan Mayor Usha Sharma today presented a Budget of Rs 208.35 crore for the financial year 2024-25 depicting a loss of Rs 7.93 crore. An income of Rs 200.41 crore has been projected as against its expenditure of Rs 208.35 crore. This is Sharma’s first Budget. She assumed charge in December.

Income generation measures

• The Budget repeated its last year’s income generation measures like a Rs 5 cess per liquor bottle, imposition of stamp duty on immovable property and provision to impose a power cess of 0.10 paise per unit after holding consultations with the state government
• It talks of resolving the issue of transfer of Army land at the old bus stand for creating parking. Creating footpath from the old DC office-Degree College, Shamti, has also been announced
• Green fund secured from tree cutting will be utilised for making the city green. A baby care centre would be set up in every ward as per the demand of the residents to facilitate the working women
• An animal birth control and vaccination centre and home for stray dogs were being set up in the city. The corporation will also acquire a dumping site near the sabzi mandi on the Kather bypass. The civic body office will get solar panels

The promise of making available subsidised water to the residents by the Congress has failed to become a reality. Year after year, the civic body has been pleading with the government to waive off its liability worth crores due to the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) for supplying water. This liability has reached a whopping Rs 99 crore and once again the Mayor has requested the state government to supply water at domestic rates to the civic body.

Owners of properties on lease were yet to pay rent of more than Rs 1 crore. The civic body will now renew the lease and try to earn Rs 1.28 crore through them.

The Budget repeated its last year’s income generation measures like a Rs 5 cess per liquor bottle, imposition of stamp duty on immovable property and provision to impose a power cess of 0.10 paise per unit after holding consultations with the government.

A proposal of creating open parking by marking yellow lines on the roads has been put forth. Once again the Budget talks of resolving the issue of transfer of Army land at the old bus stand for creating parking. Creating footpath from the old DC office-Degree College, Shamti, has also been announced.

Model vending zone will be built at a cost of Rs 1 crore. The proposal, however, was not new and despite identifying vending zones little has been done to create model vending zones in the city.

Green fund secured from tree cutting would be utilised for making the city green. A baby care centre would be setup in every ward as per the demand of the residents to facilitate the working women.

An animal birth control and vaccination centre and home for stray dogs were being setup in the city. The corporation will also acquire a dumping site near the sabzi mandi on the Kather bypass. The civic body office would also get solar panels.

In a bid to channelise the drains and nullahs, a detailed project report was being prepared as per the directions of the state natural disaster management authority. A sum of Rs 1.71 crore has been spent on replacing old water pipes from the main tanks to other tanks in the town. It remains to be seen if the water leakage problem is plugged.

Deputy Mayor Meera Anand raised the issue of lack of support from the local MLA and Health and Family Welfare minister DR Shandil, who had promised free garbage collection and water to the residents during the elections.