<p class="bodytext">In the absence of the elected body, Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagara Palike (HDMP) officials themselves are engaged in preparing the final draft of the civic body's budget for 2020-21.</p>.<p class="bodytext">HDMP commissioner is expected to approve final touches for the budget next week, before submitting it to the regional commissioner, who is the administrator for the HDMP, for getting the government's approval. Meanwhile, HDMP commissioner has also called public consultation meeting in Hubballi and Dharwad on Friday (March 6), to collect suggestions from various organisations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chairperson of the HDMP's taxation, finance and appeals committee presents the budget, if there is an elected body. As elections are not yet conducted for the HDMP which lacks elected body since one year, the budget is being prepared by the HDMP commissioner and his team of officials this time.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Bigger outlay</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to HDMP Commissioner Suresh Itnal, total revenue receipts for the HDMP in 2020-21 would be proposed at around Rs 440 crore, and it was Rs 339.76 crore in 2019-20 budget. From HDMP's own resources, Rs 129 crore was the revenue receipts mentioned in the previous budget, and it would be Rs 150 crore this time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Proposals to increase revenue by collecting property tax, market fee, building section fee and other charges more efficiently are being included in the draft budget. Property tax collection proposal would be increased from the previous budget's Rs 72 crore to Rs 82 crore this time," Itnal said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Suggestions from trade bodies, engineers' associations, and other organisations would be collected on Friday, and new schemes can be announced in the budget, based on those suggestions, he added.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">'Have interim budget'</p>.<p class="bodytext">Meanwhile, social activist M C Sindhur opined that effective pro-people measures can be announced in the budget only if the HDMP has the elected body.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Officials can have an interim budget to bear the day-to-day expenses for the time being, and full-fledged budget can be presented after the elections for the HDMP are held," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The number of wards are being increased, while citizens are facing several problems. Elected representatives can express people's problems better than officials, and think about effective solutions. Public consultation meetings by officials would be just for namesake, Dr Sindhur added.</p>
<p class="bodytext">In the absence of the elected body, Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagara Palike (HDMP) officials themselves are engaged in preparing the final draft of the civic body's budget for 2020-21.</p>.<p class="bodytext">HDMP commissioner is expected to approve final touches for the budget next week, before submitting it to the regional commissioner, who is the administrator for the HDMP, for getting the government's approval. Meanwhile, HDMP commissioner has also called public consultation meeting in Hubballi and Dharwad on Friday (March 6), to collect suggestions from various organisations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chairperson of the HDMP's taxation, finance and appeals committee presents the budget, if there is an elected body. As elections are not yet conducted for the HDMP which lacks elected body since one year, the budget is being prepared by the HDMP commissioner and his team of officials this time.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Bigger outlay</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to HDMP Commissioner Suresh Itnal, total revenue receipts for the HDMP in 2020-21 would be proposed at around Rs 440 crore, and it was Rs 339.76 crore in 2019-20 budget. From HDMP's own resources, Rs 129 crore was the revenue receipts mentioned in the previous budget, and it would be Rs 150 crore this time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Proposals to increase revenue by collecting property tax, market fee, building section fee and other charges more efficiently are being included in the draft budget. Property tax collection proposal would be increased from the previous budget's Rs 72 crore to Rs 82 crore this time," Itnal said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Suggestions from trade bodies, engineers' associations, and other organisations would be collected on Friday, and new schemes can be announced in the budget, based on those suggestions, he added.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">'Have interim budget'</p>.<p class="bodytext">Meanwhile, social activist M C Sindhur opined that effective pro-people measures can be announced in the budget only if the HDMP has the elected body.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Officials can have an interim budget to bear the day-to-day expenses for the time being, and full-fledged budget can be presented after the elections for the HDMP are held," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The number of wards are being increased, while citizens are facing several problems. Elected representatives can express people's problems better than officials, and think about effective solutions. Public consultation meetings by officials would be just for namesake, Dr Sindhur added.</p>
