Chennai mayor slams Centre for withholding Rs 350 crore in grants

Chennai: Mayor R Priya hit out at the Union government during the Greater Chennai Corporation council meeting on Thursday for not releasing Rs 350 crore in central grants.

Responding to BJP councillor Uma Anandhan’s question on how the civic body plans to address its deficit budget, the mayor said the corporation has already increased property tax by 6% annually to meet Central Finance Commission recommendations, yet the promised grants have not been disbursed. “There would be no deficit if these funds were released,” she said.

BJP councillor accused state ministers and MPs of skipping central finance meetings, but Priya dismissed the claim as false. She pointed out that the corporation is running largely on internal revenue and state support.

Uma Anandhan also said she would demand Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, during her Chennai visit, to exempt 18% GST on ward councillor funds and the mayor’s special funds to help ease financial pressures on the corporation.