The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has announced a budget of Tk3,841.38 crore for the 2025–26 fiscal year, with notable increases in allocations for mosquito control, waterlogging relief, waste management, and road development.
Moderate hikes have been made in municipal taxes and rents for social event venues.
The biggest surprise in this year’s budget is the revenue target from rickshaws. The DSCC has set a goal of increasing its income from rickshaw license fees by 5,650%. In the last fiscal year, revenue from this sector amounted to just Tk10 lakh. This year, the target has been raised to Tk5.75 crore.
DSCC Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia announced the budget at a ceremony held at Nagar Bhaban on Wednesday.
According to the budget, the municipal tax revenue target has increased from Tk560 crore to Tk600 crore. Rent from social event centers is projected to rise from Tk6 crore to Tk10 crore, while advertisement tax revenue is expected to more than double, from Tk12 crore to Tk25 crore.
Conversely, some sectors have seen cuts. The target revenue from graveyards and crematoriums has been reduced from Tk8 crore to Tk4 crore. Similarly, income from public toilet leases has been cut to Tk5 crore. Interestingly, funeral expense allocations have also been halved.
As for the expenditure sector, Tk365.11 crore has been allocated for the maintenance and development of the city’s roads and traffic infrastructure, an increase of Tk15 crore compared to last year. This constitutes 10% of the total budget.
The allocation for the city’s waste management sector has almost doubled, rising to Tk57.2 crore, which represents 2% of the budget.
The allocation for addressing waterlogging has increased from Tk50 crore last year to Tk75 crore this year. The total allocation for canal development and waterlogging mitigation stands at Tk115 crore, accounting for 3% of the budget.
Additionally, Tk57.44 crore has been allocated for the mosquito control and health sectors, comprising 2% of this year’s budget.
In this year’s Tk3,841.38 crore budget, the highest income sources have been identified as DSCC, government, and foreign sources. The income target from these sectors has been set at Tk1,469.24 crore. Next, revenue income has been estimated at Tk1,320.43 crore.
In terms of expenditure, the highest allocation has been made to the development sector, which has nearly doubled compared to last year, totaling Tk2,345.88 crore. Development expenditure from DSCC, government, and foreign aid sources has been estimated at Tk1,469.24 crore.
At the budget announcement ceremony, DSCC Administrator Mr. Md. Shahjahan Mia stated, ‘A feasible and reasonable budget has been formulated. Unnecessary expenditures have been curtailed without imposing additional taxes on city residents.’
DSCC Chief Executive Officer Md. Zahirul Islam, DSCC Secretary Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, and several others were also present at the event.