Panchkula MC clears ₹300-crore budget for 2025-26
The municipal corporation (MC) approved a ₹300-crore budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 in a meeting held on Monday.
The MC also outlined its income sources for the next financial year. The key projections include ₹28 crore from property tax, for which notices have already been issued to defaulters urging them to clear their outstanding dues. The stamp duty has been fixed at ₹60 crore as a revenue source for the fiscal year 2025-26. Under the head of land sale and acquisition, the MC has set a target of ₹11 crore, even though no revenue was generated under this head in 2024-25. The MC claims that new development schemes will boost land sales and help achieve the target.
The Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), as per an agreement, is required to share 75% of the revenue generated from building plan approvals and plot sales with the MC. However, no amount has been received so far. The MC has projected a revenue of ₹25 crore from HSVP under this component. Additionally, the MC aims to recover ₹5 crore from commercial advertising permissions.
The budget also includes significant allocations for development and civic services. The largest share of ₹152.7 crore has been earmarked for development works aimed at infrastructure and urban development projects. To address the growing issue of stray animals in the city, ₹50 lakh has been allocated for stray dog control. Additionally, ₹2 crore has been set aside for the purchase of vehicles and photocopy machines to enhance administrative and field services.
The MC House meeting was convened after a gap of one year, during which 25 agendas were approved.
Some of the major decisions taken include better healthcare for dog bite victims under which doctors, nurses and vaccines will be made available at five community centres to ensure timely treatment. Compensation of ₹10,000 per tooth mark will be provided within a week, in compliance with Punjab and Haryana high court’s directions.
Pet owners will now face a ₹500 fine if their dogs defecate in public places. Families living in slums for over 20 years will be allotted 1-marla residential plots at 2004 collector rates at their current occupied places, subject to government approval.
The hilly areas of Chandimandir will be auctioned for children’s games, adventure sports, cultural programmes and food hubs under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model. 100 acres will be handed over to the Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) for setting up an Education City.
MC will also conduct a fresh survey to regulate and support street vendors in the city. It has given a final deadline of April 15 to a parking contractor who owes crores to the corporation.
Opposition cries foul
Leading the Opposition, Congress councillor Salim Dabkouri alleged major discrepancies in the budget figures. He pointed out that MC had projected large income figures under land acquisition, despite not recovering a single rupee under this head in the current fiscal year. Dabkouri also criticised the MC’s failure to generate revenue from its own land, stating that vacant and barren plots could have been a significant source of income. Additionally, he raised concerns about illegal mining on MC-owned land, questioning why no strict action was taken against those involved. Congress councillors also demanded answers regarding the non-recovery of projected revenue from advertisements, hoardings, and unipoles.
