For the first time in 20 years, the annual budget of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) will be tabled and passed in the absence of municipal corporators. In another first, MBMC chief-Dilip Dhole has constituted a committee comprising senior officials for suggestions towards tapping new avenues of revenue generation and measures to cut down on unneeded expenditures. With officials including deputy commissioners, city engineers, accountants and auditor on board, the committee will be headed by additional municipal commissioner- Aniket Manorkar.
MBMC staring at cash crunch, needs to augment revenue by at least 25%
Staring an acute financial crunch, the MBMC also faces a herculean task of augmenting its revenue by at least 25 percent to remain eligible for grants provided by the central government for various projects and initiatives under the aegis of the fifteenth finance commission. Last year, the administration had presented a draft budget of ₹1,817.90 crore to the standing committee which inflated the figures by a whopping ₹410 crore. The general body had further escalated it by Rs. 25 crore to reach an all-time high of ₹2, 252.65 crores. The budget was passed on the virtue of the majority enjoyed by the BJP amidst sharp criticism from the opposition. Since there is no standing committee currently in place due to the suspended state of the corporation and the lack of an elected wing, the municipal commissioner has all the powers to table and approve the budget in his capacity as administrator.
New tax levy invited widespread criticism
The five-year term of the BJP-led MBMC ended in August, 2022, and the municipal commissioner used it as a window to widen the tax net and improve finances by imposing 10 percent road tax on citizens. However, the new tax levy invited sharp criticism from citizens and leaders cutting across party lines. The budget is expected to be tabled in mid-March. All eyes are now on the stand taken by the civic chief towards implementing tax reforms and resolve to impose new taxes and even a hike in the existing structure.
