No new taxes, focus on water infra revamp

Indore: Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav on Tuesday presented Indore Municipal Corporation's (IMC) Rs 8,455.61 crore budget estimate for 2026-27 fiscal that has no new taxes or hikes in existing levies and focuses majorly on revamping city's water infrastructure.While the financial statement outlined ambitious figures, it reflected a ‘maintenance mode' strategy, focusing on completing existing projects rather than launching new initiatives.A major portion of this year's budget has been dedicated to overhauling city's water supply system, which had come into sharp focus after recent Bhagirathpura water contamination tragedy.The development work includes Narmada Project Phase IV that has been formally launched to ensure long-term supply. There will be pipeline network overhaul by systematic replacement of aging pipelines and laying of new separate drinking water lines. A target is also there to establish water testing labs to monitor safety at the grassroots level. Despite the Rs 8,456 crore projection, IMC's actual annual earnings hovered around Rs 2,433 crore last year. This gap highlights a heavy reliance on state and central grants (such as AMRUT-2 and Smart City) and external loans.Bhargav while announcing the ‘no new tax' relief for the citizens, urged the administration to meet revenue targets through efficiency. The primary investment remains the Narmada Phase IV project to secure the city's future water needs.The session was overshadowed by a recent tragedy in Kushwah Nagar, where a man fell into an open drainage chamber. Leader of Opposition, Chintu Choukse, slammed the administration for failing to allocate specific funds for rescue services despite the several-thousand crore budget.Responding to the chamber incident, Municipal Commissioner Kshitij Singhal had terminated the services of sub-engineer Vaibhav Shivhare and supervisor Gagan Malviya, citing a total failure to follow safety protocols and barricading during maintenance work. Their salaries have also been withheld.Following the budget speech, Mayor inspected Sai Kripa Colony (Ward 37) after reports of sewage-contaminated borewell water came from there. He ordered immediate chlorination, technical repairs, and regular water sampling to ensure public health safety.IMC Commissioner Singhal issued a directive to curb illegal colony developments. Special monitoring teams have been formed and Building Officers are now required to submit reports every 15 days. The administration has warned that FIRs will be filed against any developer found constructing unauthorized colonies.While the budget aims for a surplus, IMC faces dual challenge of fulfilling past promises while managing the city's immediate civic issues