Chennai Corporation budget: Over Rs 5,000 cr revenue expected in 2025-26 fiscal
Stormwater drain works receive the highest allocation of Rs 1,032.25 crore in the Chennai Corporation budget presented by Mayor Priya;
Mayor R Priya presented the Greater Chennai Corporation’s budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026 (Photo: Hemanathan M)
CHENNAI: Mayor R Priya presented the Greater Chennai Corporation’s budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026 at Ripon Building on Wednesday. The total earnings for 2024-25 were Rs 8,267.17 crore, with expenditure of Rs 8,404.70 crore.
The GCC always allocates funding for capital expenditure, and this year was no different. Out of Rs 3,190.61 crore slotted as capital expenditure Rs 1,032 crore was allocated for stormwater drains (SWD), Rs 628 crore for bus route roads, and Rs 413 crore for buildings.
As per the financial report presented by Sarbajaya Das, Chairperson of the Standing Committee (Taxation and Finance), the projected revenue for the fiscal year 2025-2026 is Rs 5,145.52 crore, while the expenditure is projected to be Rs 5,214.09 crore. The revenue from capital is expected to be Rs 3,121.65 crore, with an expenditure of Rs 3,190.61 crore.
The property tax collection for 2024-2025 was Rs 1,900 crore, with expectations of Rs 2,020 crore for the upcoming financial year. Similarly, the professional tax collected was Rs 550 crore, whereas the it’s expected to increase to Rs 600 crore in 2025-2026.
Though SWDs have received the highest allocation of Rs 1,032.25 crore out of the capital expenditure, this is lesser compared to the current financial year’s allocation of Rs 1,050.40 crore. The civic body plans to carry out SWD works in the Kosasthalaiyar River using funds from the Asian Development Bank and the German Bank (KfW).
Similarly, Rs 628.35 crore has been allotted for re-laying bus route roads, which is a sharp hike from Rs 304.85 crore allotted in the current fiscal year. Development works are planned in solid waste management, including procuring additional machines and installing CCTV cameras to monitor garbage dumping in public places, with on-spot penalties for violators. The budget for Solid Waste Management (SWM) has increased by Rs 264.22 crore, with Rs 352 crore allocated for 2025-2026, compared to Rs 87.78 crore for 2024-2025.
Mayor Priya announced that Rs 413 crore has been allocated for buildings, Rs 281 crore for zones, Rs 179 crore for special projects, Rs 164 crore for bridges, and Rs 142 crore for other projects to be carried out in the upcoming fiscal year. The developmental fund for the mayor and ward councillors has been increased from Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore and from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 60 lakh, respectively, for the financial year 2025-2026.