No new taxes in BMC budget

 No new taxes in BMC budget

Mumbai: Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta announced the richest civic body’s budget on Friday, with no new taxes or no new projects for Mumbaikars.

Mehta presented Rs. 27,258 crore budget for 2018-19. The size of the budget has been increased by 8.42% against last year's outlay. 
 

Though there are no new taxes or hike in taxes, the civic body systematically proposed hike in indirect taxes to increase the revenue from other sources like market fees, factory fees. Health service charges in civic run hospitals has been also revised.  

There is a proposal to start 35 new schools under Public Private Partnership (PPP) in classrooms which have closed on account of decreasing or zero student strength. These schools will be affiliated to CBSE, IB, Cambridge and CISCE boards.

BMC proposes to spend Rs 1,202 crore for road work in the next financial year. The Corporation made Rs 467 crore provision for new work, related with bridge construction and flyover extension at various places.

A budget provision of Rs 100 crore has been proposed for Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project work. Around Rs. 8,000 crore have been earmarked for schemes targeting the urban poor. The BMC made allocation of Rs. 1,500 crore for the coastal road and Rs. 100 crore for the GMLR project. The work on coastal road and GMLR is yet to take off.

There is a proposal to construct night shelters at Chandivali, Magathane and Dahisar area, where provision of Rs 5 crore has been made.

Rs 180 crore has been allocated to procure fire fighting equipment, setting up a fire safety compliance cell and introducing the new firefighting system.

There is a provision of Rs 12 crore to install organic converters in civic market and to process the waste generated in these markets.

There is a proposal to construct two sports complex/playground, one at Veera Desai Road, Andheri West, and one at Bhavdevi Maidan, Dahisar. For this, a provision of Rs 15 crore has been made.

BMC proposes to develop a textile museum, library, auditorium, art gallery and a public plaza on the India United Mills land at a cost of Rs 300 crore and Rs 25 crore budget provision has been made in the 2018-19 budget estimate.

The BMC also proposed a hostel for working women at Goregaon and earmarked Rs 2 crore, whereas the total cost of the project is Rs 13.65 crore. The hostel will be of ground plus 15 floors having accommodation for 175 women.

The budget is being seen as populist.

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