Review of MC Budget by Administrator, UT Chandigarh
Today, Sh. Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor of Punjab and Administrator of UT Chandigarh chaired a meeting at UT Secretariat, Sector-9, Chandigarh to review the Budget income and expenditure of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh.
Sh. Amit Kumar, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation presented the current financial position of the Corporation and the ways and means, by which the MCC can come out of the present crisis. He also requested for additional Grant in Aid.
The MC Commissioner presented the Budget outlays for the last five years and it was stressed that the in comparison to the rate of increase in Corporation’s own sources and expenditure, the Grant in Aid has not been increased proportionately. He further presented the strategy to increase the revenue and curtail the expenditure which included recovery of outstanding arrears from Water bills and Property Tax; optimal utilization of vacant land and properties; reformation of property tax structure, rationalization of manpower, increase of revenue from Advertisement and booking of community centres.
Sh. Gulab Chand Kataria, Administrator UT Chandigarh, while appreciating the efforts being made by the Corporation, stressed that the Corporation should enhance its own revenue by optimizing property tax receipt, collection of the arrears of property tax and water charges, reformation of bye-laws of property tax and rationalization of the manpower. He also directed the representatives of government departments and other autonomous bodies such as PGI, PU, PEC, present in the meeting, to pay the arrears of Property Tax and Water Charges to the Corporation immediately.
The Administrator further directed that the Municipal Corporation (MC) should optimally utilize its vacant land and properties with the aim to enhance its financial position.
Present during the meeting were Sh. Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, UT Chandigarh, Sh. K. Siva Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary to Governor, Sh. Vivek Pratap Singh, Principal Secretary to Governor, Sh. Diprava Lakra, Secretary Finance, Sh. Ajay Chagti, Secretary Health, Sh. Abhijit Vijay Chaudhari, Special Secretary to Administrator, Sh. Hari Kallikkat, Secretary I.T.,Ms. Anuradha S. Chagti, Secretary Social Welfare and other senior officials of Chandigarh Administration and Municipal Corporation.