LMC tables 4,692 cr annual budget with no tax hike; focus on sanitation

Lucknow: The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) on Sunday tabled its annual budget of Rs 4,692.71 crore before the executive committee, outlining expenditure on solid waste management, roads, street lighting, parks, vending zones and other civic services, with no proposal for a tax hike.The civic body estimated income at Rs 3,293.35 crore and expenditure at Rs 3,292.93 crore for 2026–27.
Revenue income of Rs 2,278.35 crore will come mainly from property tax, water tax, advertisement fees and licences, while Rs 2,277.93 crore will be spent on salaries, pensions, road and drain works, fuel, parks and cattle shelters.Mayor Sushma Kharkwal said, "The budget was prepared keeping in mind overall urban development, improved sanitation, stronger infrastructure and enhanced revenue." She added that next year's budget would be presented in the new municipal office building. No proposal was made to introduce new taxes or increase the existing ones.An allocation of Rs 981 crore was proposed under state and central schemes and Rs 34 crore under deposits. With an opening balance of Rs 1,399.36 crore, the total budget stands at Rs 4,692.71 crore.Solid waste management received Rs 300 crore for door-to-door collection and garbage disposal. Rs 15 crore was allocated for drain cleaning in areas affected by waterlogging.Road construction and repair works were allocated Rs 271 crore. An amount of Rs 405 crore was set aside to clear pending payments for earlier projects. The allocation for executing agencies was reduced from Rs 130 crore in the revised budget to Rs 100 crore.For parks, Rs 42 crore was allocated for maintenance and Rs 6 crore for renovation. Street lighting works include Rs 16 crore for installation, Rs 6 crore for repairs and Rs 6.5 crore for the purchase of equipment.The budget provides Rs 5 crore for building repairs and Rs 34 crore for new construction works. The Ahana Enclave housing project was allocated Rs 40 crore. Infrastructure works worth Rs 180 crore were planned through infrastructure funds. The allocation for model vending zones was increased from Rs 10 crore to Rs 15 crore in all 110 wards. Land for vending zones is to be identified by March 30.The Jalkal department presented a separate budget of Rs 487 crore, including Rs 366.93 crore from revenue sources and Rs 120.3 crore from capital sources.An allocation of Rs 13 crore was made for shifting water pipelines during road works. Action was ordered against illegal car service stations using groundwater and encroaching on roads.Officials were directed to identify vacant municipal land for development under the public-private partnership model and for construction of community halls to generate revenue. Transparent collection of licence fees from weekly markets and fairs was ordered, along with action against unauthorised markets.Illegal hoardings are to be removed within a week and pending dues recovered.Boundary walls are to be constructed at cremation grounds on priority. Eight municipal schools were selected for upgradation, and a new school was proposed at Kanha Upvan. The budget also includes 40 Anganwadi centres, a modern library and a digital library.Tax rebates were announced for timely payment of property tax and user charges. A 10% rebate was proposed on lump-sum payment of user charges.