Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Proposes Rs 1050 Crore Budget for 2026-27
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has unveiled a draft budget of Rs 1050 crore for the financial year 2026-27, marking a significant increase of Rs 49 crore from the previous fiscal year's allocation. The budget document was formally presented during the corporation meeting held on Wednesday, with a pronounced emphasis on enhancing sanitation services across the city.
Key Allocations and Financial Projections
According to the draft budget, BMC's own revenue is projected to reach Rs 300 crore, demonstrating the civic body's growing financial self-sufficiency. The budget outlines several major allocations designed to address critical urban needs:
- Sanitation: A substantial Rs 200 crore has been earmarked for sanitation initiatives, reflecting the corporation's commitment to improving waste management and public cleanliness.
- Animal Birth Control Programme: The ABC programme will receive Rs 12 crore, aimed at managing the stray animal population humanely.
- Infrastructure Development: All planned and non-planned projects have been allocated Rs 400 crore, ensuring continued urban development and maintenance.
- Lighting and Electrification: An allocation of Rs 40 crore has been set aside for enhancing street lighting and electrical infrastructure.
Budget Finalization Process and Historical Context
BMC corporators are scheduled to engage in a pre-budget discussion next week to deliberate on the various components of the draft budget. This collaborative process aims to finalize the budget, which is expected to be tabled by the end of February. The draft budget also highlights a notable expansion project for the cattle shelter at Jamukoli, indicating substantial planned expenditure in this area.
Examining recent financial trends, the BMC allocated Rs 1,001 crore for the 2025-26 financial year, which was a decrease from the Rs 1,027 crore allocated in FY 2024-25. The current year's allocation of Rs 1050 crore represents a Rs 49 crore increase over the previous financial year, as confirmed by officials. It is noteworthy that the corporation's budget allocation first crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark in 2024-25, signaling a new era of expanded municipal funding.
Comparative Analysis with Previous Years
In the previous financial year, BMC allocated Rs 150 crore for sanitation, which encompassed critical activities such as handling daily municipal solid waste, establishing new wealth centers for composting, and modernizing waste collection and segregation systems. Looking further back to FY 2023-24, the BMC made a budgetary allocation of Rs 690 crore. The lion's share of that budget was directed toward various construction works and the creation of new infrastructure, along with maintenance activities.
A detailed breakdown of the 2023-24 allocation reveals that Rs 235 crore was set aside for all kinds of civil construction, constituting 34% of the total allocation. Sanitation, as another crucial component, received an allocation of Rs 141 crore. This historical perspective underscores the consistent prioritization of infrastructure and sanitation in BMC's fiscal planning, with the latest draft budget continuing this trend through increased funding and strategic focus areas.
