BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday approved a budget of Rs 1,001.40 crore for the financial year 2025-26, around 2.6 per cent lower than the last fiscal’s estimate of Rs 1,027.55 crore.
BMC officials, however, said that revenue receipts in the ensuing fiscal estimated to be around Rs 1,022 crore will be about 13 per cent more than the previous fiscal’s Rs 881 crore.
The budget has allocated Rs 110 crore for implementation of the Ekamra plan as a special development programme. The project, also known as Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Action plan, had been launched by the state government in 2019. The foundation stone of the Rs 280 crore project was laid in June 2023 as the Covid-19 pandemic and land acquisition issues delayed its launch.
Officials said around Rs 301 crore will be spent under the operation and maintenance head in which a major chunk of Rs 170 crore will go towards sanitation, waste management and drain desiltation. The civic body will spend Rs 64 crore for cleaning and sanitation through private agencies along with Rs 60 crore for door-to-door garbage collection.
Similarly, Rs 10.50 crore will be spent on drain desiltation, while another Rs 16.5 crore has been allocated for bio-mining of waste at Daruthenga dump yard to clear the legacy waste. Around Rs 4 crore has been earmarked for maintenance of micro-composting centres and material recovery facilities. It will also spend Rs 15.5 crore on incentives to Swachh Sathis engaged for improving city’s cleanliness and sanitation services.
It has allocated Rs 4.48 crore for city beautification and Rs 4.29 crore for repair and maintenance of storm water channels.
The water bodies in the city will also be renovated and maintained at an investment of Rs 4.45 crore. In revenue receipt, the civic body has set a target to collect Rs 119.5 crore from holding/property tax and 15.8 crore from hoardings and advertisement on government and private land.
Trade licence fees will also fetch about Rs 7 crore for the corporation. It will also get around Rs 105 crore as compensation in leu of Octroi.
Mayor Sulochana Das said steps will be taken for renovation of Yatri Niwas and construction of an auditorium at Saheed Nagar.
Money Matters
Expenditure
Operation & Maintenance : Rs 301 cr
Ekamra Project : Rs 110 cr
Cleaning & Sanitation: Rs 64 cr
Door-to-door garbage collection: Rs 60 cr
City beautification: Rs 4.48 cr
Revenue
Property Tax: Rs 119 cr
Hoardings & advertisement: Rs 15.8 cr
Trade licence: Rs 7 cr
Octori compensation: Rs 105 cr