The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is set to present its budget for the financial year 2025-26 on March 4. Municipal Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale will present the budget in the Standing Committee meeting, marking his first budget presentation for the civic body.

Traditionally, the PMC budget is presented in the second week of January. However, since the appointment of administrators, the trend over the last three years has shifted to a March presentation. Also, since PMC is currently under administrative rule, the commissioner’s budget will be final with no modifications.

Dr. Bhosale is now set to present the 2025-26 municipal budget before the Standing Committee at 11:30 AM on March 4. The Commissioner has formally communicated this schedule to the Municipal Secretary’s Department.

What will be the focus?

Political observers are keen to see whether the budget will be shaped as a development-oriented one or an election-focused one. However, even before presenting the budget, a debate has sparked as BJP leader and state minister Chandrakant Patil assured former BJP corporators that necessary funds for their constituencies would be allocated, leading to allegations that the Commissioner is preparing a favored budget.

The upcoming budget will be closely watched to determine which developmental sectors will receive priority funding and what infrastructure projects will be introduced.

Key city issues, such as traffic congestion and water supply for newly incorporated villages, are expected to be addressed.

Will Property Tax Hike?

Last year, the civic chief did not propose any tax hike, marking eight years in a row without an increase. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last hiked property tax in 2016-17, and before that, in 2010-11. This year, it will be a matter of curiosity whether the PMC chief decides to increase property tax. However, considering the upcoming civic polls, it is unlikely that property tax will rise. The neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has not hiked taxes this year either.

Last few budgets

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has progressively increased its budget over the years, reflecting a growing focus on infrastructure and civic development. In FY 2020-21, the budget was Rs 6,229 crore, which rose to Rs 7,650 crore in 2021-22, and further to Rs 8,592 crore in 2022-23. For FY 2023-24, the budget increased by approximately Rs 923 crore to Rs 9,515 crore. In FY 2024-25, the budget crossed the Rs 10,000 crore mark for the first time, reaching Rs 11,601 crore, marking a significant financial expansion to support the city's infrastructure, healthcare, and other civic projects.