Revised budget estimates for year 2007-08 presented in MCD House

New Delhi, Jan 30 (UNI) Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Vijendra Gupta today announced that a new special Escrow Account has been opened for implementing various projects envisaged by the MCD which would ensure that the amount for these projects is available all the time.

''These projects will be implemented on the Engineering Information System. In the first stage, action plan for each of the projects will be prepared and put on the computer. All the progress, payments and implementation will be available on click of a button,''Mr Gupta said while presenting the revised budget estimate for the year 2007-08 and budget estimate for the year 2008-09 before the House.

Under the Engineering information system, for which Rs 503.20 crore have been proposed to be provided under the Escrow account in the budget estimates for the next financial year, the progress, payments and implementation of various projects of the MCD will be available on a click of a button.

The budget estimate have been approved by the Standing Committee after various amendments which were presented by the Municipal Commissioner on December 10 last year.

Mr Gupta said it was for the first time in the history of the civic body that the income and expenditure during the financial year 2008-09 is estimated to cross Rs 5000 crores.

He explained that during the year 2007-08 there will be increase of Rs 200 crores as proposed by the Commissioner. This increase will come from share of assigned taxes to the tune of Rs.187.55 crores, Toll Tax to the tune of Rs.3.61 crores, Rs.8.5 crores from Land and Buildings, Rs.64 lakh from transferred markets from L&DO and 20 lakhs from license fees.

The Chairman said that as against recovery of Rs.711 crore in 2006-07 by way of property tax, this year so far total recovery is Rs 747 crore. It is estimated that during this financial year, the recovery will cross Rs 1000 crores.

The Chairman, while giving details of income of the current financial year, informed that a record amount of Rs.429 crores by way of electricity tax was recovered this year. This recovery was possible by solving dispute between MCD and DISCOM. As compared to it in 2006-07 only Rs.182 crores were recovered as electricity tax.

Among the new measures taken by the MCD in the Budget for the next financial year, Mr Gupta said each girl child studying in municipal primary schools will get a scholarship of Rs 200 per annum so as to encourage her to undertake education, all municipal primary schools will be inter-connected through computers, procurement of 17 new Heavy Earth Moving Equipment for better management of solid waste at sanitary landfill sites of Delhi and provision of Rs 40 crore to carry out development works in rural areas.

Mr Gupta also announced that each municipal Councillor will be allotted Rs 1 crore each for carrying out development works in his or her Wards.

The Chairmen of all the 12 Ward Committees of Zones will get Rs 25 lac each for carrying out development works at their discretion.

For the first time, provision for Rs 3000 per month have been made for offices of Deputy Mayor, Deputy Chairman, Standing Committee and Chairman of Ward Committees and other Committees.

Similarly, for offices of Leader of House provision of Rs 5000 per month and for Leader of Opposition, Rs 4000 per month have been made in the Budget.

Mr. Gupta said the MCD has also formulated an ambitious plan to beautify the area around historical Jama Masjid. This scheme will be implemented shortly. The Chairman informed that the illegal constructions and encroachments in the Walled City will no longer be able to carry on meddling.

The Union ministry of science and technology has put in place a three dimensional Geographical Information System and mapped every single building, road and lane in the area to create a satellite database and also put up cameras at critical points to assist in real time continuous monitoring of such activities. At present this system has been installed at City Zone.

UNI AR AKJ AS1939