Ujjain: The Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) council which met on Thursday passed budget for the year 2019-2020 during uproar. Income of Rs 96, 282.06 lakh was estimated in the budget against the expenditure of Rs 96, 242.27 lakh. This way savings of Rs 39.79 lakh was estimated.
Tabling the budget, Mayor Meena Jonwal said Rs 1 crore will be allocated for water laser show at Chakore Park; Rs 1.33 crore for Mukhya Mantri Yuva Swabhiman Yojana; Rs 2 crore for the development of an island on the middle of Purushottam Sagar; Rs 2 crore for dismantling old swimming pool and constructing new one; Rs 2 crore for carrying out fencing for plantation on both sides of government land; Rs 2 crore for boating, park development and availing amusement instruments at Gambhir Dam and a provision of Rs 1 crore for carrying out development works in the industrial area.
BUDGET IS BASED ON HYPOTHESIS: CONG
Prior to the commencement of UMC council meeting at Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhavan, the City Congress Committee workers led by acting president Ravi Rai staged a demonstration in protest against levying a new tax of Rs 500 on passing of marriage processions. They also handed over a memorandum to the Mayor Meena Jonwal and president Sonu Gehlot. In a statement later, Ravi Rai described the UMC budget as beyond actualities. He claimed that the actual budget should have been Rs 250 crore, but the BJP board increased it to Rs 962.42 crore just as to mislead the citizens.
According to him, the actual income of the UMC during the financial year 2017-18 was just Rs 300.76 crore. The total budgetary provisions during 2018-19 were Rs 275.53 crore that how it can raise to three times this financial year. He revealed that out of current budgetary provisions, 75 per cent of the expected income is claimed to come as grant from Union and State government, which is unlikely to be received due to paucity of funds.
He said that a number of welfare schemes run by the UMC are bound to discontinue soon as budgetary provisions of Rs 40 lakh which were made for Anand Utsav and Deendayal Rasoi Yojana have been decreased to Rs 2 lakh. He also said that meager money has been allocated for several developmental works though huge sum is being kept to dismantle vegetable market, shops and swimming pool.
Decisions at a glance
MINISTER, MAYOR ENJOY LIGHTER MOMENTS
Despite hectic and busy schedule State PWD Minister and District In-charge Sajjan Singh Verma spared some time to reach Ujjain Municipal Corporation headquarters. Initially, he wanted to witness the UMC budget meeting and thereafter he was to address the Congress corporators’ meeting, but he could attend the second meeting only. On the occasion, leader of opposition Rajendra Vasishtha, former MLA Rajendra Bharti and City Congress Committee president Mahesh Soni were present. Minister also paid a courtesy call at Mayor Meena Jonwal’s chamber where she talked with him on various developmental issues.
BJP members fail to garner Cong support against commissioner
As soon as the meeting started, most of the BJP members stood on their benches and opposed absence of commissioner Pratibha Pal. Senior members Satya Narayan Chouhan and Rajshri Joshi said Pal was conspicuous due to her continuous absence during last two meetings.
Corporator Maya Trivedi who fought the last assembly election as rebel Congress candidate also came in their support. Few of the treasury bench members tried to take the commissioner to task for suspending sanitation staff. Demanding to pass a condemnation resolution, they reached in the well and shouting slogans resorted to dharna for some time. Interestingly, entire opposition members did not give any reaction on the issue and some BJP members were also seen not in favour of opposing the commissioner. President Sonu Gehlot told the members that the commissioner had already intimated that they she will remain in Bhopal on Thursday due to prescheduled meeting convened by the State Election Officer.
