BMC budget is like empty treasury making lots of noise, says Ashish Shelar

Shelar takes a sarcastic jibe at Shiv Sena Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray , says “pauper prince is trying to behave like a royal prince”

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Mumbai: Former Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit president and MLA from Bandra West, Ashish Shelar on Wednesday termed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) annual budget for 2021-22 as “empty treasury making lots of noise”. Taking a further sarcastic jibe at Shiv Sena Minister for Environment Aditya Thackeray over the Sena ruled BMC budget, Shelar further remarked “the pauper prince is trying to behave like a royal prince”.

In a series of tweets the former Mumbai civic father remarked that there was no example of any sparkling achievement on the part of the rulers. There is an Rs 5,867 crore revenue deficit in the budget because of showers of sops on the rich that puts the BMC debt burden at Rs 5,876 crore.

Referring to the slogans of converting the defunct Worli Milk Dairy in South-Central Mumbai into a world class tourism center and installing desalination plant to convert sea water into drinking water, Shelar further remarked “looking at all this makes one feel whether this was the BMC budget or the wish list of the spoiled prince!”

Also Read: Mumbai civic body unveils Rs 39,038 crore budget, allocates Rs 2945.78 crore for education

Shelar took another swipe at the budget announcement of providing world class civic amenities to Mumbaikars, in another tweet he remarked “oppose Bullet train, continued stalemate over Metro car shed. The karbhari (ruler) will oppose each and every project, and the BMC claims it will give Mumbaikars world class civic amenities. Does beautification of street corners, junctions and flyovers mean world class amenities?”

Lambasting the Sena over the BMC budget, the former Mumbai BJP president tweeted that the BMC which has deposits worth Rs 77,000 crore in banks at low interest rates, avails loans at higher interest rates. Shelar added that at one end there is a deficit in revenue income, the BMC says it will borrow more. The BMC argues that the size of its budget has increased by 16.74%. “The balance sheet has gone haywire and it is all jugglery of numbers”, remarked Shelar.

He further added that although there are no new taxes announced, yet by announcing the setting up of Surcharge Improvement Authority (SIA), it is yet another attempt by the rulers to pickpocket the people.