Mohali, March 22 -- The Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC) has proposed a 20% increase in its annual budget for the fiscal year 2026-27, taking the proposed annual budget to Rs.226.89 crore. The budget meeting is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (March 24), with the civic body not announcing any new taxes or fresh development projects. Last year, the Punjab government had approved a reduced budget of Rs.188 crore for MC Mohali, despite the corporation having cleared a Rs.211-crore proposal for 2025-26. The substantial cuts were made by the local bodies department under multiple key expenditure heads. The approved budget had projected a surplus, with the MC estimating its expenditure at Rs.158.69 crore for the current fiscal. For the upcoming financial year, the MC has projected a significant rise in income, estimating receipts of Rs.226 crore. The civic body expects higher contributions from the Punjab Municipal Fund (Rs.100 crore), property tax (Rs.70 crore), advertisement fees (Rs.29 crore), water tax (Rs.7 crore) and rent lease payments (Rs.3 crore). Of the total proposed expenditure of Rs.226 crore, the MC plans to spend Rs.72 crore on the establishment branch, including staff salaries, 7 crore on contingency expenses, Rs.83 crore on committed expenditure such as solid waste management, water supply and sewerage services, and Rs.64 crore on development works across the city. A major hike is visible in the development budget, especially in the election year. The total estimated expenditure on city development for 2025-26 stands at Rs.4.5 crore, while the proposed outlay for 2026-27 has escalated sharply to Rs.6.4 crore....