KMC focus on slum area development for next fiscal
With emphasis on women-centric projects, the city’s slum areas are slated for an infrastructural development in the next fiscal.
Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim tabled the annual Budget today with the civic body. He is looking forward to spending over Rs 458 crore more in the next fiscal as compared to last year’s estimated Budget.
The KMC has presented an estimated expenditure of Rs 5,639.56 crore against last year’s Rs 5,180.92 crore for the same.
Advertisement
Mr Hakim, today, presented a Budget with a fiscal deficit of Rs 114.72 crore. At the end of the ongoing financial year on 31 March, the civic body is anticipated to have a cumulative balance of Rs 1,164.73 crore as fiscal deficit. As per the estimates, the KMC would have a cumulative fiscal deficit of Rs 1,279.45 crore at the end of the next financial year, 31 March 2026.
Advertisement
Last year estimates of the civic body’s expenditure were Rs 5,180.92 crore. However, post revision, the figures stood at Rs 3,657.14 crore. In the next fiscal, the estimated amount announced is Rs 5,639.56 crore with a hike of Rs 458.64 crore. Likewise, the municipal corporation had anticipated estimated receipts of Rs 5,054.52 crore that stood revised at Rs 4,008.63 crore. In the next financial year, the municipal corporation is hoping to generate estimated revenue of Rs 5,524.84 crore.
The civic body once again is said to have done well in property tax collection which is the main source of revenue for KMC. According to the budget data, last year, the number of recorded assessments stood at 9.35 lakh. In the current fiscal, till 9 December, the number is said to have increased to 9.55 lakh.
The Opposition councillors criticised the proposed Budget. While the left councillor Madhuchhanda Deb claimed that the needful was not done properly, BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh termed it as jugglery of numbers.
Notably, the solid waste department with a proposed Budget of Rs 686 crore followed by water supply department with Rs 454 crore, and sewerage and drainage department Rs 352 crore emerged as the major gainers in the proposed annual Budget.
Advertisement
