Sovan to present KMC Budget today, pro-people measures to be adopted

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee will table the Budget of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) for 2017-18 in the civic headquarters on SN Banerjee Road on Saturday.

The KMC Budget is important as after the presentation, more services for the citizens will be ensured on Saturday. This Budget, KMC would give stress on drives to increase its revenue collection.

The new system of assessing property known as the Unit Area Assessment (UAA) is likely to be introduced from April 1. Property owners will be able to assess the tax of their property on their own and then make the payment.

This system will do away with the age-long corruption associated with the revenue system. As a matter of fact, the UAA system was formulated to make the revenue system transparent and augment revenue collection.

Chatterjee's biggest achievement in recent times is to convince the state government to pass an Act for the maintenance of old and dilapidated buildings. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2017 was passed in the Assembly recently and is waiting to get an assent of the Governor. The Bill, if turned into an Act, will give the owners of old buildings to pull down old structures and construct new ones in their places with proper rehabilitation of tenants. In such cases, the applicants will get a hike in the FAR.

Once this system is introduced, many old buildings in the city, particularly in North Kolkata and in some areas of south Kolkata, that are posing serious threat to lives, would be razed as the owners would get an option. Also, in cases, where the buildings had not be maintained for years, KMC would issue notices to the owners asking them to repair them within a stipulated time.

Augmentation of water supply will be another focus in the 2017-18 Budget. The civic authorities are planning to introduce 24-hour drinking water supply in some wards in Behala and 12 hours in some other wards in an experimental basis.

The KMC proposes to supply 12-hour supply of drinking water, the highest by any civic body in the country shortly. To implement the same, new water booster pumping stations are coming up. KMC has also stressed the need to stop wastage of drinking water.

The KMC will give more importance in providing better services to the people along with the city's beautification and more scientific solid waste management. KMC has also proposed to introduce paperless offices for better management and transparency.

After the successful Budget presentation today, citizens of Kolkata will get the following services: