Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday hailed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's budget as "people-centric", and said it has taken care of the common man with a focus on health, education and environment.

Addressing a press conference here, Shinde, who is also Urban Development Minister, said there was no rise in any kind of tax or cess in this year's budget. On the contrary, the revenue has risen by over Rs 7,000 crore.

He also announced that Mumbai will get a 'Mumbai Eye' on the lines of 'London Eye' (a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London).

Shinde also announced that Mumbai will be pothole-free in the next two years.

"There is no rise in any kind of tax or cess. It is a people-centric budget. The budget is the one that gives relief to a common man and has taken care of health, education, environment," he said.

He said this budget gives relief to students, working class, poor, women and even businessmen.

The BMC on Tuesday presented a Rs 74,427.41 crore budget, its biggest-ever, for financial year 2025-26 without any hike in taxes. The budget was Rs 60.65 crore surplus. No hike has been proposed in property tax or water tax, the administrator said.

Shinde said this year's budget has gone up by 14.19 per cent or Rs 9,000 crore. This means that Mumbai is progressing rapidly, he said.

Earlier, Rs 3,000 were spent on road repairs, he said.

"We all know who pocketed the money. In the next two-and-a-half years, Mumbai will be pot-hole free and corruption free," Shinde said, taking a dig at the Thackerays whose party controlled the BMC from 1997 to 2022.

Earlier, capital expenditure was 25 per cent and it has reached 58 per cent, he said.

"Those who considered Mumbai a goose who laid golden eggs, have seen what development can be done. We have shown this in two-and-a-half years," he said.

Shinde said provision has been made to beautify gardens and maintenance in an integrated way. There are over 1,000 gardens in Mumbai and it can also be developed as a garden city.

Mumbai will get a central park of 300 acres, he said. PTI PR NP

People centric budget with no tax hike prioritizes increased capital spending for urban infrastructure and public services. The BMC budget for 2025-26 is presented as a people focused fiscal plan with no increase in taxes or cesses, higher own revenues and a surplus, and a reoriented expenditure mix that substantially raises capital spending to fund urban infrastructure and service delivery in health, education and environment; programmatic measures include road repairs and pothole elimination, integrated garden maintenance and development of a central park and an observation wheel attraction.