Chief Minister Manohar Lal recently announced that the Haryana state government is committed to granting full autonomy to municipal bodies, enabling them to complete work at the local level efficiently and promptly. For the fiscal year 2022-23, approximately Rs 3,600 crore will be allocated to these bodies from the State’s Own Tax Revenue (SOTR) of about Rs 65,000 crore. Additionally, they will receive Rs 500 crore for previous dues, bringing the total funding to Rs 4,100 crore.
The announcement came during a review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister with the Urban Local Bodies Department, attended by mayors of Municipal Corporations, District Municipal Commissioners, and Urban Local Bodies Minister Dr. Kamal Gupta. The meeting aimed to address local issues and provide necessary guidelines to officials.
During the meeting, Manohar Lal suspended Narwana’s executive engineer, LC Chauhan, for negligence in work. He also announced that the state government would cover the cost of constructing office buildings for municipal corporations, councils, and municipalities, including land acquisition and department transfers. Municipal bodies will be permitted to engage in commercial activities to generate additional income.
A state-level committee will be established to restructure and rationalise municipal bodies. The Chief Minister also instructed officials to create a common portal for property auctions and extend the deadline for applying for vital records from 21 to 30 days.