Municipal Commissioner presents MCD budget: Sources

New Delhi: MCD Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti on Thursday presented the civic body's budget to the civic body's Special Officer, official sources said.

The annual MCD budget has to be presented by a commissioner before December 10, as per statutory requirements.

The budget is eventually approved by the Leader of House in a special meeting of the House chaired by the MCD mayor, they said.

While the results of the high-stakes December 4 civic polls were announced on Wednesday, the new House is yet to be convened, and thus the city is yet to get its new mayor after the election.

The civic body in Delhi had 272 wards across its three corporations -- NDMC, SDMC, and EDMC, which existed from 2012-2022 -— before being reunified into a sole MCD which formally came into existence on May 22 this year.

The commissioner presented the MCD budget which includes the revised budget estimate for year 2022-23 and budget estimate for 2023-24, an official source said.

Since there is no House currently, the budget was presented to the Special Officer, who also currently holds a position equivalent to a Standing Committee, sources said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi had come into existence with IAS officers Ashwani Kumar and Gyanesh Bharti assuming charge as the new civic body's special officer and commissioner, respectively.

A senior official, when asked why no information was published about the budget, as is the norm every year, said, "The model code of conduct is in place, and therefore it cannot be published." Also when asked about any new proposal related to taxes or other matters in the budget, he said, "I am nor aware of the content of the budget." Before they were merged, the three corporations had earlier this year finalised the revised budget estimate for 2021-22 and budget estimate for 2022-23.

The proposal made in erstwhile SDMC's annual budget in November 2021 to increase property tax on residential and commercial properties, was rejected by the Leader of House in February 2022.

Similarly, a proposal EDMC made in the annual budget in February 2022 to impose new taxes was also shot down.

Seeking to augment its revenue, the corporation had in its budget in November 2021 proposed to increase property tax levied on residential and commercial properties, and drop tax on use of cycle rickshaws, milch animals, and those which pull vehicles. The hike was rejected by the standing committee of the EDMC in December 2021.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation, or NDMC, in its budget in November 2021 had not proposed any increase in property tax in view of the financial strains faced by people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its standing committee had received a request by the then municipal commissioner to consider hiking property tax by 2 per cent for financial year 2022-23.

The original MCD, established in 1958, was trifurcated in 2012 during Sheila Dikshit's tenure as Delhi Chief Minister.

This was the first civic election after the reunification of the civic bodies and a fresh delimitation exercise.

Poll authorities had earlier said the entire process of the election will be completed on December 15.

Votes were counted on Wednesday and the AAP has emerged as a clear winner, bagging 134 wards and ending the 15-year rule of the BJP in the civic body.

A senior MCD official said, "The elections are over and now MCD will approach the LG, seeking a date on which the municipal House can be convened so that the councillors can take oath, and then a mayor be elected." As per the norms, a budget is presented by a commissioner in a special meeting of the standing committee of the civic body, which is then taken up for discussion by chairpersons of different statutory and special committees and zonal ward committees.

Finally, the Leader of the House finalises the budget, which can accept or reject proposals made in a budget presented by a commissioner.