In the absence of elected public representatives at the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), the civic body tried to engage common citizens by inviting them to contribute suggestions for the development of a comprehensive budget for the fiscal year 2024-25. This outreach initiative, titled 'My City My Economic Resolution,' encouraged residents to share their insights and recommendations.
LokmatTimes.Com interacted with a few citizens to know their suggestions in the budget for the coming financial year. From transparency to parking policy, citizens sought details of implementation of projects, announced in the last budget in the suggestions they submitted to the civic body.
Sudhir Dani, Founder of Alert Citizen Forum, emphasized the importance of transparency in budget presentations. He suggested that, prior to unveiling the upcoming budget, a comprehensive account of the previous budget's implementation should be shared with the public. This account would detail the allocation of funds to specific projects, assessing whether these endeavors addressed genuine public needs. Dani believes that this approach enables the public to discern the correlation between the cost of each project and the resulting quality of work. “The difference between budgetary allocations and actual expenditures serves as a key indicator for the public to assess the effectiveness of the administration's financial planning. By scrutinizing these differences, the public gains insights into the accuracy and foresight of the administrative planning process,” said Dani. He added that the rise in corruption within NMMC is largely attributed to a lack of transparency, allowing for the misappropriation of public funds on unnecessary projects such as roads, footpaths, gutters, and resurfacing activities around lakes. Advocate Sharda Saha, a resident of Nerul said she has demanded that every quarter, the municipal administration shares detailed updates on the fulfillment status of budgetary items with taxpayers. “This information could be easily accessible through a dedicated website or application, facilitating a more transparent and participatory approach in the governance process,” she said.
This is the fourth budget when there are no public representatives at the corporation. In his suggestion, Vaibhaw Gaikwad, a former corporator from Vashi demanded a robust parking policy and water management. “It has become a challenge for people to get parking in the Vashi node. Even roads along the hospital and police station are occupied with vehicles. The civic administration did nothing in the last four years,” said Gaikwad. He added that the civic body should have increased water supply rate charges to prevent unnecessary wastage.
Rajeev Mishra, a civic activist said that the city is in dire need of a mental hospital and beggar rehabilitation centre. “Navi Mumbai is turning into a big city. A number of mega infrastructures and management of beggars will be important. They should get humanitarian treatment,” said Mishra.