Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation Tables ₹988 Crore Budget With Focus On Digitalisation & Sustainability

The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) commissioner and administrator Manisha Awhale presented a ₹988.72 crore budget for the financial year 2025-26 on Monday, along with a proposal for an increase in water taxes. The budget focuses on revenue generation, disciplined expenditure, smart infrastructure, digitalization, environmental sustainability, and gender parity.

Awhale highlighted five key priorities for the 2025-26 budget: water tax hikes, revenue growth, disciplined spending, environmental sustainability, and smart infrastructure. Additionally, UMC aims to enhance public transport, improve municipal schools, implement welfare schemes for women, senior citizens, and individuals with special needs, strengthen e-office administration, and ensure quality civic works.

For 2025-26, the estimated revenue expenditure is ₹575.02 crore, while the capital expenditure is projected at ₹382.97 crore. The civic administration plans to use these funds to support Thane's long-term growth. In 2024-25, UMC had prepared a budget of ₹977.64 crore.

Awhale stated, "The budget has been prepared considering income sources, government subsidies, the Fifteenth Finance Commission, infrastructure projects, the Amrit Yojana, and the Swachh Bharat Mission."

Revenue Sources

UMC anticipates total income of ₹988.72 crore in 2025-26, sourced from:

• Property tax: ₹120.41 crore

• Water tax: ₹72.25 crore

• MRTP recovery: ₹82.13 crore

• Various grants: ₹286.53 crore

• Other grants and income: ₹246.45 crore

Expenditure Breakdown

UMC’s total expenditure is estimated as follows:

• Salaries, wages, and pensions: ₹225.34 crore

• MIDC payments: ₹51 crore

• Education: ₹50 crore

• Loan repayment: ₹13.38 crore

• Electricity expenses: ₹13 crore

• Other revenue expenditures: ₹235.68 crore

• Capital expenditure: ₹369.58 crore

• Extraordinary accounts: ₹30.19 crore

Smart Infrastructure Initiatives

UMC has allocated funds for smart city projects, including:

• Smart roads: ₹7 crore

• Smart chowks and junctions: ₹2 crore

• Smart schools: ₹8 crore

• Libraries: ₹1.5 crore

• Smart primary health centers: ₹2 crore

• Smart toilets: ₹6.5 crore

• Smart crematoriums: ₹1.5 crore

• Smart gardens: ₹4.5 crore

• Smart parking: ₹2 crore

• Smart Divyang Bhawan: ₹2 crore

• Pet clinic: ₹50 lakh

Environmental Sustainability Measures

UMC has allocated:

• 15th Finance Commission projects: ₹8 crore

• Electric buses: ₹4 crore

• Vasundhara Project: ₹1.5 crore

• Solar energy projects: ₹1 crore

• LED streetlights: ₹3.5 crore

• Garden and nursery development: ₹6.5 crore

• Sewage Treatment Plant (STP): ₹5 crore

• Water meters: ₹1.5 crore

Gender Parity Initiatives

• Women and child welfare schemes: ₹10.76 crore

• Support for transgender individuals: ₹50 lakh

Major Infrastructure Projects

UMC aims to secure funding from MMRDA for:

• An elevated flyover from Shantinagar to Sai Baba Temple (₹554 crore)

• The concretization of eight major city roads (₹99 crore)