Hindustan Times ·
PMC to create land bank for projects on PDA lines
The Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) will prepare a land bank on the lines of the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) to facilitate development projects in the city’s expanded areas
The decision was taken unanimously at the municipal corporation House meeting chaired by mayor Ganesh Kesarwani on Tuesday.
As part of the exercise, councillors will collect details of land transferred to the municipal corporation from gram panchayats following the expansion of the civic body’s limits.
The proposal was approved unanimously after it was placed before the House at the beginning of the meeting. The land details will subsequently be compiled to create a land bank that can be used for municipal projects.
The meeting focused largely on increasing the civic body’s revenue, improving traffic management and addressing problems in the expanded areas.
The House also approved a proposal to rationalise the mutation fee. Earlier, a charge of ₹500 was levied every month for delay in getting property mutation done, and the amount kept increasing with the delay. Under the new decision, a fixed fee of ₹1,000 will be payable irrespective of the period of delay, providing relief to property owners.
More unipoles, LED displays at key locations
The PMC also decided to increase its advertising revenue by installing more unipoles and LED displays at the airport, railway station and bus terminals.
The civic body earned ₹4.36 crore through advertisements in 2025-26 and has already earned ₹3.16 crore in the current financial year, officials said. The PMC currently has 276 unipoles and 46 LED displays, and a survey will be conducted to identify additional locations.
The advertising department will also be provided additional manpower.
Following complaints from several councillors about electrical equipment purchased since 2023 developing faults, the House approved the formation of a committee headed by municipal commissioner Sheelam Sai Teja.
The committee will include the chief financial officer and will examine the purchases and condition of the equipment. The House also approved increasing manpower in the electrical department.
150% charge for illegal occupation of municipal shops
The House approved a proposal to recover 150% of the applicable rent from people illegally occupying municipal shops. The proposal initially included a provision for collecting a ₹1 lakh premium, but councillors opposed it, saying it would burden small and poor shopkeepers.
The municipal commissioner said the 150% charge would be applicable uniformly across the municipal corporation area. The mayor said the revised charge would come into effect from Tuesday, when the proposal was passed.
Waterlogging continued to dominate the grievances raised by councillors despite the recent heavy rains subsiding.
Councillors from Naini, Jhunsi, Mundi Chak and several other areas complained of waterlogging due to inadequate drains and drainage infrastructure. Councillors also raised issues related to encroachment, garbage collection and removal of illegal structures.
The mayor asked councillors to submit proposals concerning waterlogging in their respective areas for necessary action.
Deploy 25 sanitation workers in each zone within a week.
Identify parking sites in different areas, including Chowk.
Deploy one sanitation worker each in 48 of the 60 municipal schools.
Deploy gardeners for maintenance of parks.
Increase manpower in the Jal Kal department.
Have councillors assist and create awareness during the census.
Set up a committee to decide on naming of intersections within 15 days.
File a case against the contractor over alleged irregularities in the CM Grid project.