PMC’s budget surpasses Rs 15,000-mark, standing committee banks on traditional tax-based revenue sources

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)'s standing committee on Tuesday presented a civic budget of Rs 15,669 crore for 2026-27 — pushing the outlay beyond the Rs 15,000-crore mark — relying on traditional tax-based revenue sources. This represents an increase of Rs 1,674 crore over the Rs 13,995-crore draft budget submitted by municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on March 9.A key budget highlight is a 50% property tax waiver for women owning homes up to 500sqft. Among other major proposals is the ‘Pune Riverfront Experience Park', to be developed through a public-private partnership model. Standing committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale said the project would include amusement features comparable to ‘The London Eye' — a cantilevered observation wheel on the bank of Thames river in London. Other initiatives include establishing "pink rooms" in civic schools for counselling girls and developing Palika Bazaar-style street markets on the lines of Delhi, he said.This is the first budget presented by BJP-dominated standing committee after the Jan civic polls, where the party secured a clear majority. Of the 16 committee members, BJP holds 12 seats, while NCP has three and Congress one.Bhimale said the budget focused on overall development. "We have proposed stricter monitoring of income-generation efforts, including weekly reviews of tax collection and arrears recovery. A dedicated cell will work on securing higher central and state funding, while a separate desk will pursue pending dues and subsidies from govt departments," he said.According to the budget statement, property tax remains the biggest revenue source at Rs 3,882.40 crore, followed by building permissions, development charges and related fees at Rs 3,069.02 crore. The goods and services tax is expected to contribute Rs 2,917.95 crore, while other key sources include govt grants (Rs 1,434.34 crore), local body tax (Rs 845.32 crore) and water charges (Rs 741.52 crore). Capital receipts include Rs 500 crore via loans and debentures, and Rs 93 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.The budget statement also highlighted strengthening of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) cell to attract additional funding for infrastructure and social development. The committee also plans to revamp the city's hoarding policy to boost revenue and eliminate illegal advertisements. Besides, overhead cables will be shifted underground in phases, creating additional revenue opportunities.To improve utilisation of civic assets, PMC is looking to formulate a policy to lease out municipal-owned amenity spaces, alongside mapping and financial planning to generate income from underused properties.Commissioner Ram's draft budget had marked a Rs 1,377-crore rise over the 2025-26 budget of Rs 12,618 crore.