BMC will charge fee for spaces that should be free

BMC has been charging a nominal entry fee at spaces like Shilpgram. File Pic

With its main source of income, octroi, out of the window for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country's richest civic body is looking at newer ways to generate revenue. The BMC will now start levying service charges and entry fees at its upcoming 'state-of-the-art' developments, just like it has been charging at spaces like the penguin centre at the zoo, Shilpgram and the Malabar Hill viewing gallery.

The revenue expected for the financial year 2019-2020 from the income receipts from the Development Plan and property tax would be cut down by Rs 493.74 crore and Rs 189.96 crore respectively from the estimates of the previous financial year, 2018-2019.

Charging for facilities
Apart from a rise expected from the state government's compensation for abolition of octroi and for levying service charges and entry fees, BMC will be looking at withdrawing about Rs 5,708.77 crore from its reserves for execution of various projects such as the coastal road, the Goregaon-Mulund link road and sewerage treatment plants, among others.

After the scrapping of octroi, BMC is heavily reliant on compensation earned from the state government. However, income from two other revenue sources such as property tax and revenue from the Development Plan has not yielded any good results for the past two years. All of this has led to the civic body charging for facilities that it would otherwise provide free of cost. Now, BMC will continue this for its upcoming state-of-the-art developments. The charges will be similar to those currently being levied at the penguins' enclosure in the Byculla zoo, or at Shilpgram and the Malabar Hill viewing gallery.

One of the first new spaces to have the fee is going to be the 3D theatre at the zoo. Speaking about the move, Municipal Commissioner, Ajoy Mehta, mentioned in his budget speech, "We now intend to levy service charges and entry fees at various corporation facilities. This will not only encourage proper use of facilities, but would also generate revenue."

'Totally wrong'
Corporators have raised serious objections at this statement of the civic chief. Congress group leader in the BMC, Ravi Raja, said, "The BMC administration has hardly been able to do any concrete work, but it wants to make huge budgetary provisions and expect income, which is hardly met. I am against the service charges and entry fee at corporation facilities. It is the duty of the BMC to provide services free of cost, and it is totally wrong to expect revenue from these services."

However, explaining the move further, Mehta, said, "The charges will be only levied at facilities that are state-of-the-art, where citizens can come with their families and see something good. This will definitely help the civic body in maintaining the places in a much better way. This will also ensure that the place is not misused by miscreants."

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