Thane, March 29 Corporators from the BJP and NCP (SP) criticized the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) administration, demanding a white paper on the expenditure of over Rs 2,560 crore from development funds and an alleged Rs 2,000 crore property scam.
During a heated discussion on the civic budget on Saturday, BJP corporator Mrunal Pendse alleged that nearly Rs 2,560 crore out of Rs 4,953 crore received as development funds from the state government over the past four years had been spent on sewerage and footpaths, raising doubts about the execution of such large-scale works.
Pendse claimed that the work on the ground did not match the expenditure, and demanded that the civic administration issue a white paper and conduct a thorough probe into the alleged irregularities.
"If citizens have to depend on water tankers even for basic needs, what is the use of projects worth crores?" she said, criticizing the "dreamy" budget presented by the administration.
She further alleged a separate scam of around Rs 2,000 crore in the allotment of municipal properties to "bogus beneficiaries" and warned of a strong agitation if investigations were not initiated.
Pendse also expressed concern over rising housing costs, claiming that original residents could be pushed out of the city due to unaffordable real estate.
NCP (SP) corporator Sudhir Bhagat claimed that the budget focused more on "amenities for the elite" than basic facilities for common citizens.
He also criticized the administration for failing to improve essential services in areas such as Mumbra and Diva.
Bhagat suggested measures to boost civic revenue, including taxing unauthorised buildings and implementing a parking policy, and claimed that proper taxation in ward committees could generate up to Rs 900 crore and a parking framework could enhance income.
He also questioned the imposition of a one per cent cess for Metro projects in areas lacking such connectivity and flagged the absence of adequate public transport infrastructure.