The budget was presented to Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, who is also the administrator as the five-year term of the corporators has already ended. It is about 12.9 per cent higher than that of last year when the outlay stood at Rs 5,000 crore
Pic/Thane Municipal Corporation
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Friday presented a Rs 5,645 crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, with a focus on urban development, citizen welfare, and financial stability.
The budget was presented to Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, who is also the administrator as the five-year term of the corporators has already ended. It is about 12.9 per cent higher than that of last year when the outlay stood at Rs 5,000 crore.
Rao said the budget would not introduce new taxes or tax hikes and instead focus on increasing revenue through better tax compliance. To boost revenue collection, Rao emphasized bringing unregistered or under-taxed properties into the tax net.
The civic body expects to garner Rs 841.58 crore from property and other taxes, Rs 650.8 crore from development charges and Rs 1,441.79 crore through GST and other grants.
It has allocated Rs 80 crore under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme for urban renewal, Rs 132 crore for the Rajiv Gandhi Medical College building and staff quarters and Rs 3 crore for Anand Ashram area development, a place associated with late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe.
The civic body has also set aside Rs 285 crore to augment public transport in the city, neighbouring Mumbai, through its bus service and funds to manage solid waste and make municipal schools better.
The TMC's budget for 2025-26 focuses on financial prudence, infrastructure enhancement, and citizen welfare, said Rao. With a surplus of Rs 66 lakh, the corporation aims to make Thane a 'Swayampurna' (self-sufficient) and 'Atma Nirbhar' (self-reliant) city within the next 4-5 years, he added.
For the financial year 2024-25, the original budget stood at Rs 5025.01 crore. However, the revenue income from key departments, including water supply, tax collection, advertisements, and urban development, has seen a decline. Consequently, the projected revenue income has been revised downward from Rs 3454.83 crore to Rs 3220.42 crore. Meanwhile, the grants received by the Municipal Corporation exceeded expectations. Against an anticipated Rs 284.32 crore, the actual grants received by the end of December 2024 amounted to Rs 914.35 crore. As a result, the revised budget estimates grant and sub-grant inflows at Rs 1162.71 crore. A loan of Rs 20 crore for the Amrut 2.0 scheme was initially planned but will not be availed until March 2025.
On the expenditure front, the revenue expenditure for 2024-25 was initially proposed at Rs 3345.66 crore but has been adjusted to Rs 3034.77 crore in the revised budget. Capital expenditure, on the other hand, has been revised upward to Rs 2067.50 crore, compared to the originally proposed Rs 1679 crore, owing to an increase in capital grants.
During the session, Thane Transport Service Manager Bhalchandra Behere also presented the transport budget of Rs 895 crore for 2025-26 to Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, underscoring the corporation’s focus on improving public transport infrastructure.
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