New Delhi, Jan 7 (AHN) Without hiking the property tax or imposing any new levy, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Wednesday presented a Rs 143.05 crore net surplus Budget for 2026-27 with Chairperson Keshav Chandra announcing plans for fully mechanised road sanitation, net zero carbon target, hydrogen generation and a night bazar.

The NDMC Budget 2026-27, presented in the Special Council Meeting by Chandra at a meeting presided over by Delhi Minister and New Delhi MLA Parvesh Verma, proposed no hike in property tax rates or any new levy.

Other key highlights included the civic agency’s plans to promote AI learning in Schools with hands-on training and expansion of “AI for All” Initiative; Green and Smart City push aimed at ensuring dust-free drives, e-mobility, creating Miyawaki Japanese-style urban forests and use of solar paint and enhanced safety using 2,000 CCTV Cameras.

Chairman Keshav Chandra said, “This budget reflects our continued commitment to transform New Delhi into a city that not only preserves its rich heritage but also embraces innovation, sustainability and inclusive growth with the concept of ‘Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi’ based on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

He highlighted the focus on infrastructure upgradation – especially the sewerage and drainage network – and a record four-five time increase in capital expenditure of around Rs 450 crore during the current financial year 2025-26.

The capital expenditure is projected at Rs 943.84 crore in Budget Estimates (BE) 2026-27 against Rs 586.54 crore in Revised Estimates (RE) 2025-26 and actual of Rs 121.73 crore in 2024-25.

Chandra said that the through effective monsoon management, the goal of a water-logging-free NDMC has been largely achieved.

A contributory drainage master plan is being prepared for the next 25 years. For modernisation of sewerage infrastructure, repairs of 10 km of sewer lines have been completed using trenchless technology, and rehabilitation of an additional 30 km of lines is planned, said the Chairman.

Chandra announced that NDMC has created an “Innovation Fund” in line with the Government of India’s vision to promote innovative initiatives and adoption of new technologies.

Vice-Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal said, “The NDMC is in the process of transforming into the most progressive municipality of the country in terms of sustainability and self-reliance.”

“We will build a New Delhi that stands as a lighthouse of modernity, sustainability and civic responsibility – a benchmark and goal set by PM Modi,” he said.

He stated that a park near Nazaf Khan Road, Lodhi Colony, is being developed as a Miyawaki forest. For city beautification, 5.53 lakh tulip bulbs will be planted, a large number of which have been developed in-house and in Himachal Pradesh’s Palampur under the “Make in India” initiative. A Tulip Festival is also proposed.

Under the plantation drive, 3,500 trees, 29.93 lakh shrubs, and 502 bamboo plants have already been planted, and in 2026–27 the target is to plant 5,100 trees and 4,71,150 shrubs. For irrigation using treated effluent, 10 decentralised STPs are already operational, and 12 new STPs and five ETPs are proposed, he said.

Chahal said that under the Safe City Project, CCTV integration has been carried out in coordination with Delhi Police. “So far, 82 cameras have been connected to the ICCC, and more than 2,000 additional cameras will be integrated,” he said.

Under public amenities, all public toilets will be converted into eco-friendly, revenue-based, state-of-the-art designs. Seven Smart Pink Toilets have already been constructed, and more are proposed, he said.

“The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is undertaking a comprehensive transformation of its urban infrastructure aligning with ‘Vision @ 2047’ to build a sustainable, resilient and future-ready city,” said Bansuri Swaraj, MP-New Delhi, in a statement after attending the Budget meeting.

The Chairman presented the Annual Budget 2026-27 with Financial Projections as following: The total receipts of the Budget Estimates 2026-27 are Rs 5,953.07 crore against Rs 5,689.27 crore provided in Revised Estimate 2025-26. The total actual receipts in 2024-25 were Rs 5,060.57 crore.

The BE 2026-27 for the revenue receipts are Rs 5,211.92 crore against Rs 4,964.73 crore provided in RE 2025-26 and actual of Rs 4,606.56 crore in 2024-25.

The BE 2026-27 for capital receipts are Rs 741.15 crore against Rs 724.54 crore provided in RE 2025-26 and actual of Rs 454.01 crore in 2024-25.

The total expenditure for BE 2026-27 is Rs 5,810.02 crore against Rs 5484.15 crore provided in RE 2025-26 and actual of Rs 4,678.45 crore in 2024-25.

The BE for revenue expenditure in 2026-27 are Rs 4,866.18 crore against Rs 4,897.61 crore provided in RE 2025-26 and actual of Rs 4,556.72 crore in 2024-25.

Chahal later explained that in the field of education, NDMC has a strong team of 300 AI-trained students. He said, "Aspirational India in AI" refers to Indian PM Modi's vision of combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) with India's national drive for development, creating a ‘Double AI’ engine for growth where technology empowers the aspirations.

In collaboration with Homi Lab, hands-on workshops have been conducted on AI Basics, more than 15 AI tools, and their responsible use to make students future-ready, he said.

He said that 2026 is the year of “AI for All”. The programme will be expanded from Classes 7 to 12. He stated that Navyug School, Pandara Road is being developed as a City Model School, which is expected to be completed in 2026–27.

He stated that it has also been decided to develop Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar as a model school.

Chahal said under the PM Poshan Scheme, nutritious mid-day meals will now be provided. “The Alumni Model is also being finalised, and under sports infrastructure development, training is being imparted in 10 sports by 14 specialised coaches,” he said.