Laying emphasis on education, sanitation, door to delivery of birth and death certificate and installing solar plant on all the municipal buildings, schools run by the civic body, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Commissioner Dr Puneet Kumar Goel presented the budget proposal for the next financial year.
The Commissioner also proposed to increase property tax rates on residential properties according to the category of colonies.
The proposed rates for residential properties falling under the category 'A' and 'B' will be 14 per cent from existing 12 per cent and 12 per cent from 11 per cent for properties comes under the category C,D and E. While it was proposed to levy tax of 12 per cent instead of 11 per cent for properties comes under F and G categoris and 8 per cent instead of 7 per cent for H category colonies.
It was also purposed to charge property tax at the rate of 20 per cent of annual property value for special commercial /non-residential properties and 15 per cent on non-residential/ commercial properties.
The Commissioner, while tabling the Revised Budget Estimates 2019-2020 to the Standing Committee, also estimated a fiscal deficit of nearly Rs 565 crore. He said that introduction of new taxes is necessary as fiscal deficit for year 2019-20 is expected to touch Rs 5437.97crore. Goel announced a whopping 25.47 percent on sanitation while 18.5 per cent of total expenditure on education. A total of 7.19 per cent will be spent on health of the total budget expenditure.
In order to achieve target of Rs 800 crore property tax, the civic body initiaed a door-to-door survey of 6.44 lakh properties in which 1.83 lakh properties were identified as eligible to be under ambit of property tax net. They were asked to deposit tax. Out of these properties 7,780 properties have deposited their tax so far, he said.
It was also proposed to provide one time rebate on payment of property tax up to 30th June at 10 per cent instead of 15 per cent.
"To reduce pollution, it has taken 75 electric cars on lease for which 123 charging stations have been installed. It is expected that per annum 1.65 lac litres fossil fuel will be saved and more than 2100 ton CO2 emission will be reduced. For generation of 6.72 MW solar power solar penals have been installed over rooftop of 153 municipal buildings. 22000 LED lights have been installed at dark spots whereas 16000 LED lights have been installed at other places during this year," Goel said
The Commissioner also proposed to convert remaining street lights into LED in the next financial year besides augmenting infrastructure for sanitation works especially Swachh Delhi Abhiyan and construction of roads under the jurisdiction of the civic body.
Giving impetus on sanitation, he said an engineered landfill site is being set up of Okhla to manage the solid waste. SDMC will purchase mechanical road sweepers for cleaning narrow lanes, he said.
For managing solid waste effectively and scientifically, it was also proposed to set up a waste to energy plant by using 2000 ton solid waste per day. "Presently waste segregation is being done in 40 wards and soon it would be extended to other remaining wards.
"Another construction and demolition waste plant would be constructed at Maidangarhi to process waste collected from Central and South Zone over a piece of land measuring 7.5 acre allotted by the Delhi Development Authority," he said.
The civic body would also develop 20 new automated multilevel parking at different places under its jurisdiction, he said. Goel also stressed to convert one school as smart school in each ward in the next financial year. The number of science club in SDMC schools will also go up from 100 to 140.
