Thane Municipal Corporation Approves Rs5,025 Crore Budget: No Tax Hike, Focus on Development
Thane, 8th March 2024: Thane Municipal Commissioner and Administrator, Abhijit Bangar, approved a budget of Rs5,025 crore for the city without imposing any tax increases. The budget includes a noteworthy provision of Rs5 crore for the construction of a memorial dedicated to the late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe, who served as the political mentor to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The memorial will be established at the current mayor’s bungalow site, with Rs5 crore allocated for this purpose.
Despite the absence of elected bodies in the municipal corporation for the past two years, the Thane corporation is expecting an income of Rs5,025.01 crore in the fiscal year 2024-25. The budget details expenditures under various heads, including Rs1,679 crore for capital expenditure, Rs1,515.70 crore for wages and allowances, Rs831.88 crore for operational and purchase needs, Rs416.90 crore for administrative and other expenses, Rs183 crore for maintenance and repairs, and Rs137.90 crore for various schemes.
The property tax collection for 2023-24 was satisfactory, but the water tax collection fell short of the target, reaching only Rs102 crore against the Rs225 crore goal. In response to specific directions from Eknath Shinde, the budget prioritizes facilities for women, senior citizens, and children. Exclusive buses for women and an extension of the free travel facility for the elderly (currently available for those above 75) to those above 60 are planned. The budget also includes Rs1 crore for the establishment of the ‘Narendra Modi Thane Central Library’ and provisions for relocating the mayor’s bungalow and improving the area around Anand Ashram, the former office of Anand Dighe.
