With the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) going for polls in April, tentatively, the mayor Firhad Hakim today placed an interim “Vote-on-Account budget” for the first six months, April to September, of the financial year 2020-21 during which the civic body intends to spend a total of Rs 1920.08 crore approximately while it also aims to earn revenue of Rs 1920.08 crore in these six months.

The mayor Firhad Hakim today placed the vote on account budget in the KMC with an estimated expenditure of Rs 1920.08 crore for the time period 1 April to 30 September 2020. This was done to ensure that the civic body is able to function properly for the first six months of the financial year 2020-21 till a new board is formed at the KMC after the civic polls, which will then place the final budget for financial year 2020-21.

The interim budget contains only the income and expenditure that is required for day-to-day functioning of the KMC for the first six months in the financial year 2020-21. Placing the budget, Mr Hakim said, “The Trinamul Congress-run KMC Board has done a lot of development work. I am happy to announce that in the last financial year 2019-20, KMC has spent a record-breaking amount of Rs 321.88 crore towards slum development which include modernisation of the slums.

Never has so much been spent for this purpose. Also, for civil engineering works, a total of Rs. 328.92 crores, and for lighting, Rs 57.140 crores, have been spent by the civic body in 2019-20. For parks and squares, KMC spent Rs 29.62 crores.” He added, “There was no legal compulsion to place an interim budget for 2020-21 but we have chosen to do so, following tradition. It was only during the Left Front regime when no interim budget was placed for the financial year 2009-10.”

As per the interim budget, KMC will be spending the maximum amount of money, Rs 301.49 crores approximately, in the first six months of financial year 2020-21, on solid waste management (SWM). A total of Rs 11.26 crore will be spent on social welfare and urban poverty alleviation. The expenditure for water supply will be Rs 193.35 crores approximately while Rs 131.32 crores will be spent on sewerage and drainage.