Jha seeks citizens’ view on civic budget

PUNE, Dec 15: Micro-planning for the extended village areas in the municipal limits by preparing separate budgetary outlays for works in each village and further decentralisation of administrative functioning will be some of the priorities of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) budget for 1998.

Municipal commissioner Ramanath Jha said yesterday at a meeting of the Express Citizens Forum that he intended to involve people in the discussion of the budget before it is finalised and approved by the civic general body. Jha discussed the principles and constraints of the municipal budget.A number of civic works will be taken up, Jha said, adding PMC’s expenditure on capital works in the next financial year is expected to be less than Rs 125 crore as against Rs 110 crore in the current year. Jha cited augmentation of water supply, attacking inadequacies in the traffic system, solid waste management, improvisation of drainage, initiating work on integrated sewage treatment plant, implementation of preventive health schemes and improvement of the quality of civic schools as the priorities for the current year. “We should learn from the development of other cities and guide them in other aspects,” Jha said.

Jha said the intention was to spend about 38 per cent of PMC funds on capital works and around 33 per cent each on staff and maintenance. Plans are on to raise money through bonds worth Rs 200 crore, increased corporate participation and cutting costs on maintenance and staff.

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The PMC will enlist the priority works it plans to take up before raising the money by bonds. PMC is closely looking at commercial and judicious use of land by effective use of Floor Space Index (FSI) and Transferable Development Rights (TDR) for raising resources, he pointed out.

The PMC is currently finalising its land policy and will take major decisions relating to the growth of the city in the coming years. It has decentralised administrative functioning by forming 12 zonal offices.

Administrative and financial powers will be delegated so that 90 per cent of civic works can be handled by zonal offices. Pointing out some of the mistakes that arise during the implementation of budgetary works, Jha said PMC will take up new works only after those which have been lying incomplete for nearly ten years are completed.y