PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation on Friday proposed no hike in the property tax for 2025-26 financial year, as commissioner Shekhar Singh presented a budget of Rs 9,675.27 crore with a focus on completing DP (development plan) roads, improving water supply, enhancing CCTV surveillance at civic-run schools, and rejuvenating the Indrayani river.
Singh said more than 2.5 lakh properties were identified in a drone survey conducted last year. “These properties, in a phased manner, will be assessed for levying tax. The process to geo-tag these properties and bring new ones under the tax net will be expedited. There is a plan to generate a unique QR code for every registered property.”
According to Singh, PCMC has decided to use around 10% of the property tax collected from a particular zone on infrastructure projects executed in that zone. This was one of the 763 proposals made by residents as part of a participatory budget.
Elaborating on development of roads, Singh said the budget emphasised completing 34 DP (development plan) roads and 36 missing road links to improve daily commute. “The DP roads in Wakad, Ravet, Punawale and Kiwale will be prioritised, followed by Charholi, Moshi and towards Chakan. A total of 48.94 km of DP roads have an allocation of Rs 900 crore. About 11.3 km of missing links are expected to be completed, with a provision of Rs 122 crore,” he said.
As many as 25 junctions have been identified across Pimpri Chinchwad for improvement to streamline traffic. “The National Highways Authority of India is soon expected to begin work on an 8-lane elevated corridor via Chakan. A proposal for Rs 262 crore towards land acquisition has been tabled before state govt,” the commissioner said.
The budget has earmarked Rs 1,960 crore for various infrastructure works, including a jackwell project that is expected to strengthen water supply in many parts of the city. Besides, a water tank at Durga Devi Tekdi with a storage capacity of 28 MLD has been planned. “The work on the Bhama Askhed jackwell is expected to be completed by Oct 2025. There is also a plan to start work on laying a pipeline to fetch water from Andra dam to avoid water wastage and evaporation losses,” Singh said.
In the coming year, PCMC is planning to issue green bonds amounting to Rs 200 crore. The revenue generated from these bonds will support its non-motorised transport initiative and environmental projects, including Harit Setu, which aims to provide sustainable last-mile connectivity to residents. Municipal corporations, including Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Ghaziabad and Indore have successfully generated funds using green bonds.
The civic body received an AA+ stable credit rating from Crisil for the proposed green bonds in the previous year. The non-motorised transport projects encompass the development of cycling paths, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and sustainable transport solutions aimed at reducing carbon emissions, alleviating traffic congestion, and improving air quality. State govt’s approval for green bonds was granted on Feb 13, eight months after the civic body’s standing committee sent a proposal in July 2024.
The civic administration is planning to procure recyclers to handle choke-ups as part of preventive maintenance. These machines will be given to all the zonal offices. There is a plan to construct new sewage treatment plants at Kiwale and other locations.
Singh said there is a plan to set up health and wellness centres at 70 locations. “A focus will be given to improving CCTV surveillance at the PCMC-run schools. An initiative of the classroom library will be extended to 50 more schools. An English medium school has been proposed at Kasarwadi and Bhosari,” the commissioner said.
An amount of Rs 112 crore has been set aside for the rejuvenation of the Indrayani river. The budget has allocated Rs 56 crore for advanced vehicles for the fire department. Among other initiatives, PCMC plans to extend financial support to children of waste pickers. “The budget has proposed to set up a one-stop centre for senior citizens,” Singh said.
The budget for 2025-26 is around Rs 1,000 crore more than the Rs 8,676 crore the civic body presented for the 2024-25 financial year.
