Nashik civic body unveils Rs 3,011.9cr budget for 2026-27

Nashik: Municipal commissioner Manisha Khatri on Monday unveiled the Nashik Municipal Corporation's draft budget of Rs 3,011.9 crore for the 2026-27 financial year, proposing a 15% hike in advertising tax that will come into effect from April 1.She presented the draft to standing committee chairperson Machhindra Sanap, who has scheduled a special meeting of the committee on Thursday to discuss and approve the proposals.The civic administration has earmarked Rs 50.2 crore for ward development and corporator funds in the new fiscal. This includes Rs 39.6 crore for ward development and Rs 10.6 crore for corporator funds. Khatri pointed out that Rs 52 crore had been allocated for these purposes in the ongoing fiscal year, and clarified that any unspent amount will be carried forward to 2026-27. According to the commissioner, Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) expects total receipts of Rs 2,868.8 crore in the upcoming fiscal, in addition to an opening balance of over Rs 143 crore. However, the capital expenditure provision has been significantly reduced to Rs 736.9 crore, marking a sharp drop of nearly 50% from last year. The capital outlay does not include works related to the Kumbh Mela. At the same time, the civic administration has revised the capital spending target for 2025-26, increasing it from Rs 1,031.3 crore to Rs 1,501.9 crore, reflecting a substantial upward revision. Revenue expenditure has also gone up, rising from Rs 1,982 crore in the current financial year to Rs 2,273 crore for 2026-27.The draft budget does not propose any major new projects for the next financial year, but several service-related departments have received increased allocations. The health department sees a 19.8% rise in its provision, up from Rs 33.8 crore in the current financial year to Rs 40.5 crore in 2026-27. A new 12-bed dialysis centre at the Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital, earlier known as the New Bytco Hospital, will be made operational during the coming fiscal. Additionally, the Tapovan building is being upgraded to expand health services during the Kumbh Mela period.The education department has received a major boost, with its allocation rising sharply to Rs 24.9 crore for the new fiscal from just Rs 4 crore this year. Similarly, the financial provision for solid waste management has been increased from Rs 138.7 crore to Rs 161.8 crore. The streetlight budget has also been enhanced significantly, more than doubling from Rs 2.2 crore in the current fiscal to Rs 5.6 crore for 2026-27.On the revenue side, the civic body projects income of Rs 2,868.8 crore apart from the opening balance. This includes Rs 1,738.3 crore from the GST grant, which also covers Rs 120 crore earned through the 1% local body cess levied on property transactions. NMC has also projected Rs 285.3 crore from property tax, Rs 75 crore from water tax and Rs 223.7 crore from various taxes collected by the town planning department. The total projected expenditure for 2026-27 stands at Rs 3,010 crore, with Rs 471 crore earmarked for roads, bridges and other works under the public works department.