SDMC Budget Proposes Nursery Section in Schools, Sports Complexes 

Nursery education in all its schools, sports complexes in 10 of them and construction of four new sterilisation centres for stray dogs are among a slew of proposals made by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in its budget today.

The budget for the year 2017-18 was presented by municipal commissioner P K Goel at the civic body's headquarters in the Civic Centre.

The civic body has also proposed that in future it will purchase only electric staff cars, the SDMC said in a statement.

A nominal increase in property tax has also been proposed.

Reacting to the budget, Ramesh Matiala, Leader of Opposition in the SDMC, said, "After the East and North corporations, now South Corporation has also increased the tax," he said.

"We will continue to protest against the anti-people move. Why can't they look at the Delhi government and present a similar people-friendly budget?" he asked.

The EDMC yesterday proposed two new taxes and an education cess in its budget, which also includes a plan to develop an entomology laboratory and a training centre for combating mosquito-borne diseases.

The NDMC in its budget prior to that had proposed imposition of a betterment tax and a professional tax.

All three corporations are led by the BJP, which has been ruling them for the last 10 years.

"By increasing tax in the proposed budget of all the three corporations, BJP has made it clear that it is not bothered about the welfare of the people and is out to put additional financial burden on the residents of Delhi," the AAP alleged in a statement today.

In the SDMC budget, the constructions of multi-storeyed automated car parking lots have been proposed at 13 places.

The budget also proposes starting nursery education in all SDMC schools, and development of sports complexes in 10 schools with the help of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Goel said.

"Construction of four new sterilisation centres for stray dogs has also been proposed," it said.

Construction of four new mid-day meal kitchen with modern, state-of-the-art facilities in one school each for all the four zones and increase in uniform subsidy from Rs 600 to Rs 1,100 are among other proposals, it added.