Daily Times

LAHORE: Lord Mayor Colonel (r) Mubashir Javaid presented Rs 13.172 billion Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) budget for the fiscal year 2017-18 at the session of District Assembly on Saturday.

The budget was unanimously passed amid opposition uproar, which tore the copies of the budget.

District Assembly speaker and Deputy Mayor Muhammad Tariq chaired the session.

Giving breakdown about the important details of revenue, the mayor said that Rs 825 million will be generated from general bus stands, Rs 1.90 billion from tax on transfer of immovable property, Rs 550 million from property tax (UIP), Rs 55 million from building fee, Rs 60 million from municipal property rent, Rs 60 million from licence fee and Rs 102.2 million from encroachment land branch / enforcement fine.

He said that the Punjab government was giving Rs 156.93 million to the MCL as non-development grant from the interim Provincial Finance Commission Award.

He said that as per the interim Provincial Finance Commission Award, an amount of Rs 1.88 billion had been estimated for the MCL for fiscal year 2017-18.

“According to Interim Provincial Finance Commission Award, the MCL is receiving 43.59 million per month in respect of development projects while it is expected that the MCL will receive Rs 523.12 million for development projects for 2017-18,” he said.

The mayor said that an amount of Rs 523.12 million will be spent for construction and developments of city’s roads and streets. “An amendment proposal will also be presented after the announcement of the new Provincial Finance Commission Award. He said that the MCL had appealed to the government to increase development grant.

For the Lahore Waste Management Authority (LWCM), he said Rs 3.41 billion and Rs 580 million had been set aside for ‘salaries and expenditure’ and ‘pension’, respectively.

He said that the Metropolitan Corporation would release funds to the LWMC after receiving grant from the Punjab government.

While sharing the expenditures details, he said that Rs 12.28 billion amount had been estimated for expenditures in the budget. The amount of Rs 1.66 billion estimated for employees’ allowance, including house rent, medical, conveniences and other.

Moreover, he said that an amount of Rs 4.68 billion had been set aside for other expenditures, including Rs 1349 million for pension, Rs 150 million for streetlights, Rs 286 million for roads, Rs 183 million for Ramazan Bazaars, Rs 250 million for Eidul Azha, Rs 87 million for national festivals and Rs 110 for advertisement and payment to the LWMC.

Published in Daily Times, July 30^th , 2017.