The chairman of Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s board of administrators (BoA), Firhad Hakim today said the civic body has placed its budget for the financial year 2021-22 which includes a waiver of mutation fees and focuses on improving water supply in areas of South Kolkata.

The civic body which is yet to undergo elections that would lead to the constitution of an elected board is at present being run by a BoA. Due to the outbreak of the covid pandemic, the civic body could not undergo polls and consequently, a final budget couldn’t be placed since last year when interim budgets were placed to manage the municipal projects.

Hakim reminded that it was twice the KMC had to place interim budgets in the financial year 2020-21. “We had to place a permanent budget this time since it was becoming difficult to discharge the functions of the civic body without deciding on a permanent budget.”

Commenting on the total expenditure of the budget, Hakim said that nothing was changed in this budget and expenditure is the same as the budget placed in the last financial year 2020-21.

However, he highlighted, “In 2021-22 financial year, the only alteration is, we have decided to completely waive the mutation fee and the fee that was charged on the issuance of mutation certificate for the first time.” “The amount charged till date was Rs 100 which now stands totally waived,” he said.

Additionally, commenting on the total expenditure of the civic body in this financial year, Hakim said, “The budget of 2021-22 is the exact same of the last financial year except for minor alterations which include the waiver of mutation fees and setting up of booster pumping stations in areas of Tollygunge and Jadavpur, for which an amount of Rs 210 cr has been allotted.”

Further commenting on whether KMC is ready to start vaccinating kids, Mr Hakim said the civic body can only do that after the state health department instructs them to do so.

“Infrastructure is ready for vaccination but at present, our full capacity is not being utilised due to the inadequate stock of vaccines coming from the Centre. Once we get the nod, we can start vaccinating children.”