With NMC polls in mind, corporators demand fund hike

Nagpur: Instead of having a robust healthcare infrastructure in city, it ssems majority of corporators across political parties are more focused on the next civic polls due in early 2022.
Corporators demanded the mayor Dayashankar Tiwari increase their discretionary funds from Rs20 lakh to Rs50 lakh, ensure completion or resuming incomplete and pending works. They made the demands during a marathon online discussion on standing committee’s Rs2,796.07 crore budget for 2021-22.
Though committee chairman Bhoyar has told media about keeping a budgetary provision of Rs55 crore for health infrastructure for 2021-22, the mayor told the house that over Rs255.74 crore was earmarked for treatment of Covid-19 patients and improving health facilities in the city.
Giving a nod to the budget, corporators demanded the mayor to ensure its implementation at the earliest. With the NMC polls due in January or February next year, corporators will get hardly seven months to undertake development works in their constituencies, they said.
Leader of opposition and senior Congress corporator Tanaji Wanve demanded funds for statues and implementation of Seventh Pay Commission for retired NMC staffers.
Most corporators expressed scepticism about implementation of the budget stating that the NMC is yet to start the works sanctioned in 2019.
Barring BJP corporator Narendra Borkar and NCP corporator Duneshwar Pethe, not a single corporator from either ruling or opposition parties spoke about increasing funds for health infrastructure.
Borkar said the NMC should learn a lesson from Covid-19 pandemic and give importance to health facilities in the city. Pethe blamed the civic administration for the increase in the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in the second wave.
Former standing committee chairman and BJP corporator Vijay Zalke blamed the civic administration for misleading the elected representatives in the name of lack of funds. “Bhoyar has shown Rs320 crore as opening balance in his budget for 2021-22, but during my tenure the administration curtailed development works citing lack of funds,” he said.
BSP corporator Mangala Lanjewar demanded the mayor to hike the corporator’s fund to Rs50 lakh from Rs20 lakh. Echoing Lanjewar, Mohammed Jamal too demanded revision of corporators’ funds.
Jamal claimed many works sanctioned in 2019 are pending. “We admit Covid-19 pandemic needs attention, but NMC should also ensure good roads, potable water and other basic amenities,” he said and added that with damage to retaining walls in nullahs, pig menace has increased manifold in north Nagpur.
Praful Gudadhe blamed the Central government for vaccine shortage and pointed out that the NMC should not spend development funds for procuring vaccines. “It is the job of Central government to provide vaccines for any pandemic,” he said.
BJP corporators Dharampal Meshram and Pravin Datke alleged that the MVA government did nothing, turning the meeting into a heated argument between the ruling and opposition corporators. Gudadhe, who voted against Bhoyar’s budget, left the meeting midway.
Corporator Parineeta Fuke demanded that on the lines of tablets for Std IX to XII standard students, the NMC should provide gadgets to all students of NMC run schools.
Ruling party leader Avinash Thakre, former mayor Nanda Jichkar, Pradip Pohane (BJP), Ibrahim Tailor (BSP), Julfikar Bhutto (Congress), Satish Holey, Sandip Jadhav (BJP), Sandip Gawai (BJP) among other corporators expressed their views in favour and against the NMC budget.
Mayor directed the administration to form a four-member committee comprising officials from finance and accounts office to monitor implementation of the municipal corporation budget. The mayor also asked the administration to focus on improving revenue generation from the existing resources and to do follow-up for pending funds from the state government. He also directed to take action against a contractor for delaying the work of a garden in prabhag number 13 in West Nagpur. He also directed to increase Rs 50 lakh more for shifting of electric poles from DP roads.
Tiwari directed the administration to stop all road digging works in view of the ensuing monsoon season. He also directed the administration to rename Chambar Nullah as North Canal.