Municipal bonds, solar park, public toilets & EV charging stations in over 3.2kCr draft budget of CSMC

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Municipal commissioner G. Sreekanth on Wednesday presented the draft budget for Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) for 2026-27, featuring an outlay of Rs3,224.4 crore.The budget emphasises sustainability through green municipal bonds, a dedicated solar park, and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, alongside significant allocations for public infrastructure and animal welfare.The draft will now be reviewed by the mayor and the standing committee, who will incorporate suggestions from various corporators before final approval."This budget is not merely a balance sheet of figures but a roadmap for the city's development," commissioner Sreekanth said. "We have factored in feedback from citizens to ensure our financial planning accelerates urban progress and addresses ground-level needs."In a first for the CSMC, the civic body plans to issue green municipal bonds to raise capital for eco-friendly projects. A key highlight is the proposal for a Rs25 crore solar park, designed to provide a long-term renewable energy source for the city's new water supply scheme. Additionally, Rs1 crore has been earmarked for the installation of EV charging stations across the city.To bolster the city's status as the "tourism capital" of Maharashtra, the budget allocates Rs2 crore for pay-and-use public toilets and Rs1 crore for a tourism festival. Following recent large-scale anti-encroachment drives, Rs20 crore has been set aside for road construction and infrastructure development in the cleared areas.The garden department has been allocated Rs9.7 crore for the development of new public parks and the renovation of existing ones. In a push for data-driven environmental management, the budget provides Rs5 crore for a GIS-based tree mapping system and Rs2.5 crore for a digital tree census.Addressing the rise in dog bite cases, the CSMC has proposed Rs1 crore for sterilisation of stray dogs and Rs50 lakh for a special dog-collaring project. The budget also includes Rs1 crore each for a pet park and a pet cemetery, along with Rs50 lakh for a dog shelter in Harsul.The education sector received a total allocation of Rs13.6 crore, including Rs5 crore for expanding municipal schools. For sports enthusiasts, Rs10 crore is earmarked for new playgrounds, including a table tennis academy at Baijipura (Rs1.5 crore) and a dedicated ground for native sports at N-4 (Rs2.5 crore).Furthermore, the budget introduces modern technology for civic maintenance, including Rs2.85 crore for robotic septic tank cleaners and Rs1 crore for a 17-metre firefighting ladder.Water tax hike likelyCommissioner G. Sreekanth hinted at an increase in water tax to ensure the city's water supply project runs on a "no-profit, no-loss" basis. Currently, the CSMC spends approximately Rs155 crore annually on the project, including Rs70 crore to Rs80 crore on electricity alone, forcing the civic body to cover significant deficits from its own funds.