CHANDRAPUR: Amid protests, Chandrapur Municipal Corporation’s Rs351 crore budget for 2021-22 was passed during the general body meeting held at Herai hall here on Friday.
Standing committee chairman Ravi Aswani presented Rs6.19 lakh surplus budget, which was passed with majority votes amid protests by the opposition corporators.
The meeting was presided over by mayor Rakhi Kancharlawar. Commissioner Rajesh Mohite, standing committee chairman Aswani, BJP leader of House Sandeep Awari, Congress leader Dr Mahakulkar, Janvikas Sena corporator Pappu Deshmukh, Shiv Sena leader Suresh Pachare and BSP leader Anil Ramteke were present in the House, while other corporators joined the meeting virtually due to Covid restrictions.
With civic election looming next year, ruling BJP has ensured there is no tax hike in this budget. However, opposition corporators charged mayor Rakhi Kancharlawar of effecting tax hike in the guise of improving civic amenities.
Corporator Deshmukh charged that even though the budget has been tagged as one without tax hike, the agenda for upcoming March 31 general body meeting clearly bares the devious motives of the ruling BJP. The issue of imposing tax up to Rs2,000 on every lavatory tank is on the agenda, he said. He charged that the ruling BJP has plans to put burden of new taxes on the citizens, already hit by the Covid pandemic. He claimed that the CMC has already started fresh assessment of properties in the city and property tax is likely to be hiked up to 40%.