New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Opposition councillors in the MCD on Wednesday raised concerns over falling revenue projections and weak financial detailing, questioning the civic body’s revised estimates for this fiscal and 2026–27 budget proposals despite increased funding from the Centre and the Delhi government.
Addressing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House during a discussion on its budget, Indraprastha Vikas Party Councillor Mukesh Goyal said the estimates show lower income and expenditure compared to last year, even as the Centre and the Delhi government have indicated a 7.4 per cent rise in development resources.
The Delhi government has created an additional Rs 1,031 crore corpus for MCD, which should be clearly reflected in the budget, the councillor noted.
Congress councillor from Zakir Nagar, Nazia Danish, highlighted “under-utilisation of funds”, saying that around Rs 2,000 crore received as grants-in-aid for various heads remained unspent from the previous year and is likely to be returned.
“The House should ensure proper and full utilisation of all grant money received,” Danish said.
Flagging the engineering department as a key spending and revenue-generating arm of the civic body, Goyal said multiple income sources such as building application fees, mobile tower charges, road-cutting fees and charges on social events at hotels and farmhouses needed to be streamlined.
The opposition councillors claimed that several stalled redevelopment projects, including the Azadpur staff quarters project awarded in 2019, were cited as examples of payments being made without visible progress or accountability.
On the regulatory front, the corporators said most court cases involving MCD originate from the building department, alleging that flaws in online approval systems have resulted in completed buildings later being declared illegal.
A proposal was put forth to extend the cut-off dates for regularisation of authorised and unauthorised colonies to December 31, 2025.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors protested at the Bhalswa landfill site on Wednesday, accusing the BJP-led MCD of dumping waste in Delhi’s rural areas.
MCD Leader of Opposition Ankush Narang claimed the dumping was causing waterlogging and illness. “If the chief minister cannot make Delhi garbage-free, she should resign,” he said. “People are falling sick, and their lives are being ruined.” Meanwhile, both Goyal and Danish criticised the absence of AAP councillors from the House.
“This has never happened before where the largest opposition party failed to show up on the day when the budget is meant to be discussed,” Goyal said.
Nazia Danish said, “AAP did not work when they were in power; now, when in opposition, they are nowhere to be found.” The councillors also flagged gaps in sanitation and environmental management, alleging that fines imposed for violations have failed to improve cleanliness and that sanitation workers face shortages, such as a lack of equipment and delays in promised healthcare benefits.
Observing that property tax was the MCD’s largest revenue stream, the councillors sought reforms in valuation and faster rollout of the Unique Property Identification Code (UPIC) to prevent leakages. PTI VBH VBH NSD NSD
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