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MCD Budget proposals criticised

NEW DELHI: Opposition leader J.K. Sharma on Tuesday criticised the 2008-2009 Budget proposals of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, calling them “mere statistical jugglery and lacking in innovation.”

At a special meeting of the MCD Standing Committee, Mr. Sharma said the targeted revenue for the civic body had fallen short on all accounts: “A revenue of Rs.382 crore had been collected as property tax instead of the targeted Rs.1,051 crore. Advertisement revenue of Rs.28 crore had fallen way short of the proposed Rs.160 crore and even transfer duty (Rs.221 crore) had failed to reach its initial target of Rs.400 crore.”

Mr. Sharma came down heavily on the civic body for its failure to utilise the allocated Rs.1.5 crore in the past year on development of roads in rural areas of Delhi.

Other issues that came in for scathing criticism were dwindling revenues from car parking charges, low returns of online property tax and the gradually developing “corporate leanings” of the civic body. Some of the steps suggested by Mr. Sharma to hike revenue returns for the MCD included constructing ATMs and amenity shops outside civic body-run parks to supplement its income and provide employment; utilising vacant land under its purview for developing business parks, etc.

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