Union Budget 2024-25 has nothing for Pune, middle class disillusioned: Mohan Joshi

Pune: Former MLC and MPPC Vice-President Mohan Joshi has criticised the Union Budget 2024-25 for not making any provision for Pune at all.

He said, “There is no new project for Pune in the Union Budget 2024-25. Minor allocations have been made for the Metro railway and the Riverfront Development Project.”

In the press release issued here, Joshi said, “The first phase of Pune Metro should have been completed earlier. The then Congress government had granted all permissions to the project in 2012. The BJP government came to power in 2014. It was delayed for three years due to differences between the then BJP MP and other leaders. Its cost increased by thousands of crores of rupees due to the three-year delay. PM Modi staged a stunt by inaugurating Pune Metro by travelling in it. But the work was not expedited. A mere Rs 800 crore allocation has been made in today’s budget. The Puneites have been cheated. Pune Metro’s expansion in suburbs will be delayed. The BJP does not have the political will to strengthen public transport in Pune.”

He said, “The Riverfront Development is important for improving the environment and health of citizens. PM Modi inaugurated the project but nothing has been done in the past five years. Only Rs 600 crore has been allocated for the over Rs 5,000 crore project. This is an eyewash.”

Joshi said, “Provisions have not been made for the Jaica project for treating sewage water, expansion of airport runway, conservation of heritage sites and Pune-Nashik High Speed Railway. New plans have not been suggested. It is a budget with empty slogans for the Puneites.”

He added, “Private employees and the middle class are disillusioned. Tax concessions were expected in these inflationary times. The income tax exemption limit should have been increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. It was a demand of the middle class. The 10 pc tax on Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh should have been 5 pc instead. There is no relief for common taxpayers in the budget. On the contrary, there is a possibility of tax burden.”