The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) budget discussion on Tuesday witnessed fierce opposition from the CPI-M and BJP councillors who alleged that though big amounts of money during the budget presentation are sanctioned to various departments, the revised rates ultimately turn out to be severely low.

The KMC budget discussion on Tuesday witnessed CPIM and the BJP councillors severely criticising the budget claiming that big amounts of money allotted during the budget presentation ultimately gets reduced to much lower amounts in the revised rates while machinery procurements by civic body departments tend to become dysfunctional due to lack of maintenance.

The CPI-M councillor, Mrityunjoy Chakraborty on Tuesday criticising the budget said, “The budget is a complete “jumla”. It is also another deficit budget that the mayor presented for the financial year 2018- 19. We have observed whatever amount of money is allocated every year in the budget ultimately gets reduced to much lesser amounts in the revised rates.

“ Adding to this, the developments plans that are announced during budget are hardly implemented. Promises of supplying clean drinking water had been made by mayor Sovan Chatterjee in the last budget too but it is quite apparent that several pockets in the city still continue to remain deprived of clean drinking water. The health department had been allotted a sum of Rs 143 crore 28 lakh which ultimately was reduced to Rs 133 crore.”

He further added the councillor’s fund should be raised from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Responding to allegations, Atin Ghosh, member mayorin- council (MMIC), health, said,“The KMC is not an NGO. The expenditure target depends on the revenues that the civic body collects.

It should be mentioned that the deficit percentage is brought down every year… The health department has been making developments and extending more facilities every year. We are also starting mobile dispensaries which have already undergone tendering process and are due for delivery.

Meanwhile, the BJP councillor, Tista Biswas said ,“The KMC needs to recruit more 100 day workers especially in the Solid Waste Management department. The recruitments have been completely frozen. Garbage is quite apparently piling up in various points across the city while the machineries lie dysfunctional due to lack of maintenance. Previously there used to be an emergency team in every ward but presently nothing as such exists anymore.”

The Congress councillor of ward 140, Abu Md. Tarik, highlighted that there are several open drains existing in the city that needs to be covered while sewerage facilities needs to be worked upon.

He further stated that a Booster Pumping Station (BPS) needs to be set up in ward 140 to curb drinking water crisis. Mr Tarik pointed out that there is a space under the Public Works Department (PWD) in ward 140 where the BPS could be set up.