A week after its presentation, PCMC’s 2026–27 budget yet to cleared by standing committee

Pune: The PCMC commissioner presented the annual budget of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for 2026–27 nearly a week ago, but the standing committee is yet to approve it. Sources told TOI that the delay is because the newly constituted committee has sought clarifications from the civic administration about several provisions in the budget, which was prepared during the period of administrative rule when civic elections had not yet taken place.Municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar presented the Rs9,322 crore 2026-27 budget to standing committee chairman Abhishek Barne on Feb 28. However, instead of approving it immediately, Barne asked civic officials to clarify certain points and said that the proposal would be taken up for consideration at the next meeting, which was held on March 4.After Wednesday's meeting, officials confirmed that the budget was not cleared, and the decision has now been deferred to the next standing committee meeting scheduled for March 11, as the civic administration is yet to respond to the queries raised by the newly elected members."We have asked the officials concerned to provide detailed information on several aspects of the presented budget in the next meeting. They have been asked to share ward-wise allocations and suggest ways to improve the revenue of the municipal corporation," Barne told TOI.He added that officials have also been asked to specify expected revenue so that new works can be proposed accordingly. "Some committee members have suggested works related to their respective wards. These will be studied and we will explore options to include as many works as possible in the final budget," Barne said, adding that several changes are likely before the budget is placed before the general body.Civic chief Hardikar told TOI that he has directed heads of various departments in PCMC to provide the information sought by the standing committee. "Officials have been asked to ensure that all doubts raised by the committee members are addressed. The committee will make necessary changes before sending the final budget to the general body," he said."As per the rules, the annual budget of PCMC must first be approved by the standing committee and then by the general body before March 31," Hardikar added. The general body meeting of the civic body is scheduled on March 13, when the budget is likely to be placed for approval.The civic body's budget declined by Rs353 crore compared to the previous year. The budget did not include any new projects, instead focusing on completing existing works.