Patna Municipal Corporation. Telegraph picture

Patna, March 23: For the second consecutive year, Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) is all set to table a deficit budget because of a sharp decline in its revenue. The civic body would introduce the draft budget in the corporation board meeting tomorrow for its approval.

The board meeting, scheduled to be a monthly affair, would be conducted tomorrow after three months. Besides the budget, several new projects and proposals would be discussed in the meet, the civic body officials said.

According to sources, the deficit in the budget data to be tabled in the meeting tomorrow has been estimated to be approximately Rs 3 crore. The annual budget of the corporation will be around Rs 2 billion.

“The mayor and the deputy mayor have approved the budget draft. It will be tabled in the board meeting tomorrow. Like last year, this year’s budget data also reveals huge revenue loss of PMC. The proposed budget for 2011-2012 will of Rs 2.39 billion,” said a senior official in the accounts department of the corporation. Sources in the accounts department said the draft budget includes proposal to hike several taxes.

“In addition to the proposed hike in taxes, professional tax will be introduced for discussion. If the majority of the corporators approve the plan, a final draft will be prepared,” said the source.

The civic body has been functioning with deficit budget for the past several years, barring 2008-2009. The PMC registered a profit of Rs 12 crore that fiscal.

According to sources in the corporation, the budget got delayed by over a month as the post of financial commissioner was vacant for close to two months after the former PMC commissioner Manish Kumar removed the previous finance controller.

“A new accounts and financial controller was appointed just a few days back. Therefore, the entire process got delayed,” mayor Afzal Imam said.

The mayor also said the procedure got hampered because the PMC commissioner, Divesh Sehra, was sent to Bengal for election-related duties. “He will join us for the budget presentation tomorrow,” the mayor said.