Additional fuel and power bills add burden on PMC

PUNE While citizens are already burdened with high fuel prices and increased electricity charges, even the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC’s) expenditure on fuel has increased from ₹74 crore to ₹126 crore in the last four years. The civic body’s power bills, too, have increased from ₹149 crore to ₹213 crore, as per details provided in the budget.

While presenting the draft budget for 2022-23 on Monday, Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar shared various figures comparing income and expenditure over the last four years. Kumar said that during the year ended December 2018, the PMC spent ₹74.42 crore on fuel with the expenditure on fuel increasing every subsequent year to reach ₹126 crore in December 2021. Kumar said that increased fuel charges had put a burden on the civic body.

A PMC official requesting anonymity said, “For the last few years, oil prices have remained high. The PMC needs fuel for its garbage-carrying vehicles and other officials’ vehicles. The PMPML fuel is not part of these figures. That is different and gets reflected in the PMPML budget.”