BMC budget likely on March 2, before conduct rules enforced

With Lok Sabha election due in April and May, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is in a hurry to table its budget. The budget for the financial year 2019-20 will be passed by the first week of March. To speed up the process, the civic standing committee meetings to discuss the budget, is being held almost every alternate day and the final discussion will be held on February 20, said an official from BMC’s municipal secretary (MS) department. “The revision in the budget will be made in the standing committee meeting and then it will be tabled on March 1 in the general body,” said the official.

“Only group leaders will be allowed to speak during the general body meeting before passing the budget. Any change during the corporation meeting is unlikely,” he added.

The Lok Sabha election is due in April and May, and the election code of conduct is likely to come into force from the first week of March. Once the election date is declared, discussion on the budget will put on hold, so will be the process of clearing the budget and its implementation until the election gets over.

The civic chief had tabled Rs 30,692 crore surplus budget for a number of infrastructure works. The budget will be implemented from April 2019.

2019 being the election year, most of the parties want that budget to be cleared before the election begins so that they can use it in their favour during the campaign.

In case, the budget is not approved before the election code of conduct comes into force, there is a provision under which the civic administration can implement the budget. “Under section 129A of MMC Act, there is a provision that allows the civic chief to take up work proposed in the budget,” said the official. However, only old works can be taken up due to the election code of conduct.