The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD begins to finalise budget for 2007-08

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Monday, Dec 04, 2006
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New Delhi

MCD begins to finalise budget for 2007-08

Sandeep Joshi

However, most of the projects for current year are pending

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has started the process for finalising the Budget for the next financial year (2007-08) despite the fact that most of the promises made and projects announced for the current year are still pending.

With the municipal elections likely to be held within the next two to three months, the ruling Congress is likely to announce various sops for all sections of society and some major development projects to lure the voters.

It is unlikely that the civic body would levy any new tax or penalise property tax defaulters.

This year the MCD struggled to complete even its routine work as its entire administration was busy in implementing court orders, be it related to sealing of illegal commercial establishments, demolition of unauthorised and illegal structures, catching of stray cattle, allotment of plots to dairy owners at Ghogha, constructing slaughter house at Ghazipur, implementation of parking policy or removal of hawkers and street vendors.

MCD reprimanded

MCD administration proved to be a big failure in carrying out these jobs and even got severely reprimanded by the Supreme Court as well as the High Court.

While its Ghogha dairy project, being monitored by a High Court-appointed committee, is now mired in controversy due to corruption charges, ambitious Ghazipur slaughterhouse project is still far from completion after having missed the June 2006-deadline.

It has also failed to increase its revenue by adopting various measures like stepping up property tax collection and boosting revenue from advertisement tax.

Financial trouble

In 2005-06, MCD has managed to collect just over Rs.800 crores against the target of over Rs.1,500 crores, while this year also the target is Rs.1,500 crores but so far it had collected just Rs.500 crores.

The civic body would be in deep financial trouble if it fails to improve its tax collections this year.

Similarly, its row with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation over property tax payments and sharing of advertisement revenue is not over yet, while it has also struggled to rein in various government organisations that have failed to clear their dues.

MCD has also fared miserably in implementing the parking policy though it had to announce it under pressure from the High Court-appointed committee.

It also failed to start construction of multi-level modernised parking lots at various market areas including South Extension, Greater Kailash, Kamla Nagar, Karol Bagh and Chandni Chowk.

Other issues

Then there are other issues like proper functioning of streetlights, maintenance of parks, cleaning of drains and removal of garbage where serious lapses have been reported both at the House and the Standing Committee. Similarly, the functioning of citizen service bureaus to provide single window service is far from satisfactory with Councillors demanding its revamp, while zonal offices are yet to get adequate powers for efficient functioning.

With all these shortcomings, the Congress is afraid of facing the voters in the elections, while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is missing no chance to highlight the failures.

The Congress leaders feel that the party could carry out some "damage control exercise" through the Budget, so it might announce bonanza for citizens including more monetary aid for senior citizens, widows, women and students.

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