QUESTIONING THE `DELAY': Mayor Chandrika Parameshwar and Janata Dal (S) member Syed Ahmed trading charges while members of the Congress and the Opposition argue with each other at the general body meeting of the Gulbarga City Corporation on Tuesday.

GULBARGA: The general body meeting of the Gulbarga City Corporation on Tuesday passed the 2006-07 budget amidst pandemonium with the Opposition members storming the well of the House and sitting in a dharna protesting against the failure of the ruling party to present the budget within the time frame as specified by the Karnataka Municipal Council (KMC) Act.

The budget meeting got off to a stormy start soon after Mayor Chandrika Parameshwar asked the council secretary to table the agenda. Even as the official got up to announce the single agenda, the presentation of the budget, the Opposition BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) members took exception to the violation of the provisions of the KMC Act and sought an explanation from the Mayor for the delay in presenting the budget.

Former Leader of the Opposition and BJP member Vijaykumar Savalani and Janata Dal (S) member Syed Ahmed, who led the protest, charged the Mayor with violating the Act as she had failed to present the budget three weeks before the beginning of the financial year.

The contention of the Congress was that though the KMC Act specifies that the budget be presented three weeks before the beginning of a financial year, the Mayor had the discretionary powers to present the budget even after the deadline.

Even as the BJP and Janata Dal (S) members, who rushed to the well of the House, started arguing with the Mayor on the propriety of presenting the budget now, chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance and Taxation Gurunath B. Billad started reading the budget proposals.

Protesting against the presentation of the budget, the Opposition members staged a dharna and shouted slogans. But Mr. Billad hurriedly completed the reading of a part of the budget proposals in just five minutes.

The Mayor, who failed to persuade the Opposition members to withdraw their stir, adjourned the proceedings after announcing that the budget has been approved through a voice vote.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Accounts Dharmanna further aggravated the confusion by announcing that the Finance Committee had not submitted the budget proposals to the Standing Committee on Accounts, which was mandatory before it was presented before the general body.

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