NEW DELHI: Without voting and discussion, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) budget for the 2024-25 fiscal was passed on Thursday within five minutes by Mayor Shelly Oberoi surrounded by councilors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who stood guard at her podium as the opposition members trooped into the well of the House and charged accusations of corruption against her.
The House could function only for minutes with the Mayor reading the budget amid sloganeering and ruckus. A total income of Rs 15,686.99 crore and expenditure of Rs 16,683.01 was approved by the House for the 2024-25 fiscal. The revised estimate for 2023-24 was also approved by the Mayor.The budget was passed in the absence of the MCD Commissioner who was supposed to present, and without a vote.
It was the third day and the last day of the budget session when the proceedings of the House remained affected due to chaos and commotion. The opposition—BJP and Congress—have been at loggerheads with the AAP against the party’s decision of an exponential rise in the discretionary fund of the Mayor which has been done after cutting the expenses from various heads including Rs 726 crores from the salaries of Group B employees.
Most funds allocated for different committees in the MCD, such as the standing committee, have also been diverted to the Mayor’s discretionary fund. The Mayor now has a discretionary fund of more than Rs 1,005 crore, in comparison to Rs 10 crore, leading to a 100-time increase in her financial powers. Officials said that due to the severe shortage of staff in Group B, the funds went underutilised. However, they rued that since the money will now be transferred to the discretionary fund, there will be no scope for regularisation of employees from this group.
The opposition group led by the BJP has knocked the doors of Delhi L-G VK Saxena. While there is no major change in the income and expenditure between the current fiscal’s budget and for FY 2024-25, a few changes have been approved. The corporation has earmarked Rs 1,000 crores separately for the maintenance of the roads for the next 10 years. The salary expenses of teachers to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore will be borne by the Delhi government and the use of AI in spotting and repairing damaged roads are among the new initiatives included in the budget passed.
Key highlights
School playgrounds will be rented out during off periods
Door to door delivery of 23 services initiated in line with that of Delhi Government
Realtime parking space availability on the mobile app with booking facility
AI will be used to identify damages and repair of roads
Street vending survey to be initiated shortly