BMC unveils Rs 39,038 cr budget, keeps tax structure unchanged

The Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) on Wednesday unveiled Rs 39,038.83 crorebudget for the year 2021-22.

In a relief to citizens, no additional civic tax orlicence fee was proposed in the budget by the BMC, thecountry's richest civic body that goes to polls early nextyear.

The total budget estimates for the next financial yearare 16.74 per cent more than the last fiscal when it hadpresented a budget of Rs 33,441 crore.

Municipal commissioner I S Chahal, who presented thebudget before to the civic standing committee, kept the civictaxes and licence fees unchanged.

''There is no additional tax and charge in the budget,''he said while talking to reporters after its presentation.

In the 11.51 crore surplus budget, the civic body isexpecting a revenue of a Rs 27,811.57 crore from varioussources, including property tax, water and sewage charges,compensation in lieu of octroi and DP fees, which is Rs 636crore less as compared to the Rs 22,448 crore estimatedrevenue of FY 20-21.

The budget does not make announcement about any newmajor infrastructure project and the BMC has focused onvarious ongoing development projects, besides health services,education and other facilities.

The civic body has estimated Rs 18,750 crore for FY21-22 from the Rs 14,637.76 crore in FY 20-21 for the capitalexpenditure works, which includes traffic operation and roads(Rs 1,600 crore), Coastal Road project (Rs 2,000 crore), Watersupply projects (Rs 1,232.17 crore), storm water drains (Rs1149.74 crore), Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (Rs 1,300 crore) andsewage disposal (Rs 1,060.06 crore), among others.