The Standing Committee of Ranchi Municipal Corporation passed the urban local body’s Budget worth Rs1,180 crores for the financial year 2016-17, with particular focus on water conservation and supply, developing sanitation infrastructure and ensuring housing to all in the State capital.
The Budget estimation has been done under two heads — Revenue Head and Capital Head — with the former generated by RMC itself and the latter provided by Centre and State Governments for implementing their welfare projects, said RMC PRO Naresh Kumar Sinha.
In the Budget, Revenue Receipt has been pegged at Rs90.16 crores whereas Capital Receipts are expected to be Rs805.68 crores, with Total Receipt standing at Rs1108 crores. The Revenue Payment is to be made to the tune of Rs70.57 crores and Capital Payment will be Rs855.46 crores, totalling to Rs92.60 crores.
“For 2015-16 we had set the target of generating Rs61.5 crores through tax collection and were successful in achieving 65 per cent of that target till December. The process slowed down due to staff strike, but with things back to normal, we are looking to achieve 90 per cent of the goal. Completing this objective will make us eligible for performance grants,” stated Sinha.
The sewerage and drainage system has been allocated Rs201.36 crores, Rs121.71 crores has been set aside for drinking water and sanitation, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has been allotted Rs107.46 crores and Rs44.74 crores have been given for Rajiv Awas Yojana. Funds to be provided for roads, footpaths and park development were amped up to Rs100 crores, Rs2 crores and Rs3 crores respectively.
Provisions have been made to allot Rs10 crore for tipping fees under solid waste management project. The intiative taken by RMC to change the face of ponds in the city has also been given the monetary support it needs. Rs15 crores have been allotted for pond development and beautification.
“Detailed Project Reports for 21 ponds in the city have already been drafted and we have received funds for six of them,” stated Mayor Asha lakra.
The Standing Committee also gave the nod to appointing a private agency to collect fines for the urban local body. “This will be first time in Eastern India that a municipal corporation is appointing private parties to supervise fine collection. Some metropolitan cities are implementing this concept, appointing marshals from private firms for penalising and collecting the fines. This will help in generating demands for better services. Regulation in this regard has already been formed,” stated Municipal Commissioner Prashant Kumar.