Nagpur Municipal Corporation's first elected budget in 4 years swells to Rs 6,203 crore

NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) first Standing Committee budget in nearly four years was presented on Saturday with an outlay of Rs6,202.99 crore, up by about Rs336 crore from the municipal commissioner's draft estimate, while continuing to rely heavily on grants from the Centre and state governments.Standing Committee chairperson Shivani Dani Wakhare, a first-time corporator, tabled the budget, converting a projected deficit of Rs299. 34 crore into a marginal surplus of Rs50. 18 lakh.The budget avoids any hike in property tax or introduction of new levies, instead focusing on improving collections and monetising civic assets.Government grants and GST compensation together account for over Rs5,527 crore, nearly 89% of the total receipts, underscoring NMC's dependence on higher governments.Major allocations include Rs1,926.99 crore for the Nag River Pollution Abatement Project, Rs957. 01 crore for the Pohra River project and Rs900 crore for Cement Road Phase-V works.The budget also proposes a pilot pay-and-park scheme on five roads, revival of the Smart City's fibre-optic duct network for revenue generation, and measures such as bottled municipal water, hotel grading and additional hawker zones to boost non-tax income.The general body will discuss the budget on June 29.