Jul 11, Kathmandu - The Kathmandu Metropolitan City's Resource Estimate and Budget Limit Determination Committee meeting has determined the size of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The budget was determined by a meeting held at Mayor Balendra Shah's office on Friday, along with the committee's member secretary and chief administrative officer Saroj Guragain.
A meeting with Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol and some representative ward chairmen has set the budget limit for the upcoming fiscal year at Rs 25.113.4 billion. The meeting has set the limit as 3 percent for finance, 51 percent for infrastructure, 20 percent for social development, 12 percent for good governance and interrelations, and 14 percent for operations and administration.
The chaos in the metropolis since the first week of last December has come to a complete end and the budget has reached the point of being presented. Earlier, the budget was stalled after Mayor Shah tried to hold a meeting by bypassing Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain.
Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol and ward chairpersons are not ready for the mayor's proposal. Although Shah asked the administration to prepare a proposal without the chief administrative officer, the meeting could not be held as other public representatives were not ready. Now, after the meeting of the mayor, deputy mayor, chief administrative officer and ward representatives, the budget is certain to come.
Balen had held a meeting in his presence, forgetting the bitterness with the Chief Minister since 2081 Paush 8. The local level was legally obliged to submit the budget by Asadha 10. However, the budget was stopped due to Balen's insistence on not accepting Guragain. Now the budget will be brought as per the decision of the Resource Estimate and Budget Limit Determination Committee.
Apart from Kathmandu Metropolitan City, five other metropolitan cities in the country have brought their budgets on time. Pokhara Metropolitan City brought the largest budget among the five metropolitan cities. Birgunj brought the smallest budget.
Pokhara brought a budget of Rs 8.35 billion, but it brought only Rs 3.22 billion. Kathmandu, which brought the largest budget, will have its budget by Sunday.