BMC budget: No new taxes but rise in sewage connection fee to drain pockets

Bhopal: Bhopal Municipal Corporation's 2026-27 budget brings some relief for residents: no new taxes have been introduced, and property and water rates remain unchanged. However, households will see sewage connection fees climb by 10–18 percent across categories.On Monday, Mayor Malati Rai presented the Rs 3,938.45-crore budget on Monday, balancing income and expenditure but projecting an effective deficit of Rs 108.89 crore after setting aside a 5 percent reserve.For citizens, the most significant change could be the long-awaited shift from bulk water supply to individual household taps. A Rs 874-crore project aims to replace colony-level connections, potentially easing frustrations for nearly half the city's population. Alongside this, Rs 582 crore is allocated for new pipelines, tanks and filtration plants, while Rs 1,050 crore will fund sewage networking to expand coverage to 70 percent of the city.Other initiatives include permanent housing for porters, a covered meat market, a new market modeled on "New Market," revival of the Lake Festival, and improved employee benefits such as higher education incentives and financial assistance for injuries on duty.Not all proposals advanced smoothly. A plan to clear legacy waste at Adampur Cantonment was returned after disagreement, leaving the BMC to decide on a tender that jumped from Rs 33 crore to Rs 55 crore.Bhopal Municipal Corporation has sharply boosted its Civic Amenities – Water Supply budget. From Rs 2630 lakh (Rs 26.3 crore) in 2025-26 (Revised), the allocation has nearly doubled to Rs 5030 lakh (Rs 50.3 crore) in 2026-27, marking a major push for water infrastructure expansion. "This budget has been prepared keeping in mind the needs of every ward and every citizen," Rai said, calling it a step toward making Bhopal "smart, organized and progressive."The budget session began around 12:30 p.m. on Monday at the BMC headquarters in ISBT and stretched late into the evening. Proceedings opened with Question Hour, followed by debate on three proposals — one of which was sent back for reconsideration. In the afternoon, Rai delivered her budget speech, outlining a series of initiatives aimed at improving everyday life in the city.For BMC employees — education incentives for their children raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, and financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh for those injured on duty.Most of these projects will be executed under the AMRUT-2 scheme, backed by union government funding. Development works worth Rs 582 crore are already underway, including 600 kilometers of new pipelines, 36 overhead tanks, and four filtration plants. BMC has also earmarked Rs 1,050 crore for sewage networking, which is expected to extend coverage to 70% of the city and raise treatment capacity to 80%.