Pune Municipal Corporation. (Express photo) The BJP, the outgoing ruling party of the PMC, on Monday cleared the draft civic budget of Rs 9,716 crore, an increase of Rs 1,124 crore estimated by the civic administration for 2022-23 in standing committee ahead of the civic polls even as the Opposition claimed that only the draft budget by administration will get implemented. “The standing committee has unanimously given nod to Rs 9,716 crore draft civic budget for 2022-23. We have included a lot of public interest schemes and projects in it,” said Hemant Rasane, chairperson of the standing committee. The committee stands dissolve as the five-year term of the elected general body ended on March 14 with the administrator taking over the charge from Tuesday, March 15.
He said that Pune will be established as lake city by developing lakes at Jambhulwadi for tourism. A detailed project report for beautification of other lakes, including lakes at Lohegaon, Katraj, Pashan, Lakaki, Kharadi, Pachagaon Parvati, Dukarkhind, Vetal tekdi, Taljai, Padmavati, Pune station and Sarasbaug, will be prepared.
“The PMC is starting is medical college and would also set up its nursing college. A hospital in Kondhwa Budhruk on the lines of Sassoon hospital would be developed as a part of the plan to have one big hospital in each assembly segment in the city,” Rasane said.
The PMC will start mobile clinics for senior citizens, and, “There is plan to develop Yog Bhavan and start Yoga training centre at 136 school buildings and parks”. Civic school students would be provide free tablet for online education at a cost of Rs 10 crore and free cycles to civic school students of 6-10. Wrestling clubs in the city would be given financial assistance to have better infrastructure, Rasane said.
The privately developed Shiv Shrishti in Narhe-Ambegaon will be given Rs five crore while Lata Mangeshkar Kala Academy will be started in Kothrud. The PMC will also organise Swami Vivekanand national conference in the city and planned to develop smart villages in Mundhwa and Lohegaon, he added.
The civic administration had tabled Rs 8,592 crore draft budget in standing committee on March 7 which had to be finalised and tabled in the general body for final approval. The term of the general body ended on Monday but the standing committee finalised the draft budget of Rs 9,716 crore.
However, the NCP was quick to hit out by alleging that the increase in draft budget was illegal and only the draft budget by administration will get implemented. “The BJP finalised the draft budget in standing committee through its majority vote. This draft budget cannot be implemented by the civic administration as it is not approved by the general body. Thus, the increased budget does not hold any significance but the one prepared by the administration will get implemented,” said Vishal Tambe, NCP corporator and former chairperson of the standing committee.
He said that the newly elected general body will have the power to revise the civic budget.
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