LUCKNOW, Nov. 19 -- After nearly a month of delay due to administrative stalemate, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) cleared a revised budget of Rs 3,392.24 crore for financial year 2025-26 during its executive committee meeting on Tuesday, prioritising upgrades in sanitation, water supply and urban infrastructure. Earlier, the rift between mayor Sushma Kharkwal and municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar had delayed approval of proposals. A successful meeting of the executive committee was held after differences between the authorities were addressed following the state government's intervention. Another executive committee meeting on Tuesday paved way for the approval of the revised budget. On November 13, the committee passed many key civic and administrative decisions after previous meetings on October 24 and 30 failed to reach a consensus. Officials said the revised financial plan aims to strengthen essential civic services without imposing any new taxes on residents. Chaired by the mayor, the meeting at the LMC headquarters had detailed discussions on income and expenditure under Section 147 of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1959. Executive vice-president Charanjeet Gandhi, municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, additional municipal commissioners, departmental heads and executive members attended the meeting. Addressing the media, the mayor said work would begin soon in a speedy manner, which would help resolve existing issues like road repair, dysfunctional streetlights, drain cleaning, and other key issues. The executive committee approved a total proposed income of Rs 3,392.24 crore and an expenditure of Rs 3,391.41 crore for 2025-26. Officials said the budget was divided into three major components - revenue account, capital account and special (superior) account -allowing the corporation to channel funds into key areas of public service delivery. On the income side, LMC projected Rs 2,266.24 crore under the revenue account, which includes property tax, user charges and other municipal collections. The corporation clarified that it has not increased or introduced any new tax this year, a move likely to benefit residents already grappling with rising living costs. The capital account is expected to generate Rs 1,092 crore from central and state government-funded schemes, including the MP Fund, MLA Fund, Chief Minister Urban Development Scheme, Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT Mission and the 15th Finance Commission. Additionally, the special account is projected to bring in Rs 34 crore, taking the total proposed income to Rs 3,392.24 crore. On the expenditure front, the revenue account will utilise Rs 2,265.41 crore for core civic services such as road repairs, drain construction, park maintenance and operation of cow shelters. The capital account expenditure, estimated at Rs 1,092 crore, will support government-backed infrastructure projects including work under Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT Mission, CM Grid Scheme, development of public facilities, construction of a shooting range and creation of new cow shelters. The special account expenditure has been fixed at Rs 34 crore, bringing the total expenditure to Rs 3,391.41 crore. Officials said the near-balanced budget reflects the corporation's attempt to manage resources efficiently while addressing public needs in rapidly expanding urban areas. The Jalkal (water works department) also presented its proposed budget for 2025-26, highlighting improvements planned for water supply and sewerage systems. It emphasised that it is implementing online billing, raising new water tax demands and improving revenue recovery to ensure better service delivery. The Jalkal budget estimates a total income of Rs 460.85 crore, including Rs 348.93 crore from revenue sources and Rs 111.92 crore from capital grants. The department proposed a total expenditure of Rs 459.39 crore, with Rs 296.03 crore allocated for revenue expenses and Rs 163.36 crore for capital works. With a surplus of Rs 1.45 crore, the water supply department's budget was also approved by the executive committee....