PUNE: The standing committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday increased the 2022-2023 civic budget to Rs9,716 crore, a rise of Rs1,124 crore from municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar ’s Rs,8,592-crore draft budget presented on March 7.
“I have forwarded the budget to the general body (GB). But as the five-year term of the elected members and the GB ended on Monday midnight, the commissioner will have the powers to take a call on the changes we have made in the budget,” standing committee chairman Hemant Rasane said.
The standing committee in its budget document proposed projects such as “smart village” for the areas merged with the PMC, Swami Vivekananda memorial, tablets and bicycles for students civic schools and flyovers in areas off Nagar road.
Opposition parties said though the standing committee increased the budget, it was likely to remain on paper as the general body’s approval would not be possible. “The five-year term of the elected members is over. As a result, the general body meeting will not take place. The commissioner does not have the rights to approve this added expenditure as an administrator. We are supporting the budget presented by the commissioner,” said Vishal Tambe, an NCP corporator and standing committee member.
