Budget in limbo as LMC yet to finalise House session date

LUCKNOW The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) is yet to finalise a date for its crucial House meeting to approve the ₹4,236.63 crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, despite repeated rescheduling attempts and mounting pressure from opposition corporators.

The delay persists as the agenda for the meeting has not received approval from mayor Sushma Kharkwal, a mandatory step before the House can be convened. As a result, the meeting could not be convened on April 9 and 11, the dates proposed earlier. And now it is also unlikely on April 12.

When HT contacted the mayor for a comment, she declined to speak on the matter, saying the municipal commissioner would decide when to organise the House meeting. The mayor had still not cleared whether the budget has been approved by her with modifications as proposed in the executive comittee meeting.

On March 24, the LMC’s executive committee cleared the proposed budget with major allocations for sanitation, waste management, drainage, street lighting, and public welfare schemes. However, the final approval can only come through a general house meeting, which is yet to be called.

With the new financial year already underway, the delay in budget approval could affect ongoing and upcoming civic projects across the city.

MAYOR MEETS SP CORPORATORS

Mayor Sushma Kharkwal on Wednesday held a meeting with 21 corporators from the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) to address concerns around the House meeting and discuss development plans.

SP corporator Mamta Rawat, who attended the meeting, said the mayor discussed various development issues, but refrained from giving a clear date for the House meeting. “The mayor told us to ask the municipal commissioner when the House would be called. She did not give any assurance,” said Rawat.

Rajesh Kumar, another SP corporator, said: “The mayor only spoke about the planning and strategies of the House. There was no clarity on when the meeting will take place.”

BJP corporator Munna Mishra said there is no information about the House meeting. Earlier, it was scheduled for April 11-12, but there’s no information about the new date.

Additional municipal commissioner Lalit Kumar clarified that the House cannot be called until the agenda receives approval from the mayor. “At present, there is no update on the House meeting date. We require a minimum notice of 96 hours to organise the session, and that window has already passed for April 12,” he said.