Chandigarh mayor seeks additional financial support from UT administration
MC has also collected revenue amounting to nearly ₹323 crore from residential and commercial property tax, water connections and bills, booking of community centres, booking of open spaces, among others
City mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor on Tuesday met UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria and apprised him about the financial crises of the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC), seeking an additional grant of ₹200 crore from UT administration.
Dhalor told the administrator that the civic body’s total revenue for the financial year 2023-2024, inclusive of ₹560 crore received from the administration as grant-in-aid, was ₹1,042 crore.
On the other hand, MC’s expenditure during the financial year was ₹1,143 crore. The difference between receipt and expenditure is short of ₹100 crore approximately.
“For the coming financial year 2024-2025, ₹200 crore is required in addition to the sanctioned grant-in-aid due to increased expenditure on account of arrears, salary and pension under the 7th Pay Commission, increase in wage rates, electricity charges and other miscellaneous expenditure on various ongoing projects,” the mayor said.
In a letter to the administrator, Dhalor mentioned that the civic body’s own revenue is also being utilised to meet day to day expenditure and other developmental works in progress.
While providing facilities to general public on no profit-no loss basis, MC has also collected revenue amounting to nearly ₹323 crore from residential and commercial property tax, water connections and bills, booking of community centres, booking of open spaces, Circus Ground Manimajra, Housing Board Chowk and Exhibition Ground Sector 34, among others.
However, the letter further says that the revenue receipts are not sufficient to cope up with the MC’s financial crunch.
