'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1914-1915' [‎195v] (60/150)

I
Chapter III.
PROTECTION.
Loan and plague
expenditure.
Debt and sinking
fund
Assets and
liabilities.
Assessment and
collection of
revenue.
Regulation of
streets and
buildings.
Communications.
Drainage.
Water-supply.
Public lighting.
Municipal work
shops.
34
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
ment Trust on ist May 1915. The surplus cash balance at the close of the
toRs. 3 Ij 79>835 after allowing for a write-off of Rs. 34,455 consequent on the
City Improvement Trust of the Halalkhors Chawl. The general tax was f urt f to %
from 10 per cent, to g| per cent, and a reduction off percent, was also allow
water rate. Notwithstanding, the income from the general tax increased bv It tllt
due to enhanced values assigned to Government buildings and to an expansion in th ' W
and value of properties in the city. The net income realized decreased k?"”*"
Rs 4 63,134, owing chiefly to the adverse effect of the war on “town duties’' w i 6Verbv
only Rs. 9i32,3io as against Rs. 17,30,677 m the preceding year. The incidence!?
fell from Rs. 11-10-5 to Rs. 10-14-8.
3. The expenditure on loan works amounted to Rs. 73,42,282 as against R s
in 1913-14, owing principally to heavier outlay on the Tansa reduplication works'
hire on nlaeue measures rose from Rs. 1,24,682 to Rs. 1,27,633.
4 3 ’ 8 7 T 5
^pendi.
4. During the year the second instalment of Rs. 41 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of the Rs. 70 IMi 1
the reduplication of the Tansa main was raised from the public. R s
paid towards the redemption of debt leaving total liabilities of Rs. 6,88,44 g 7 i^° b ' vere
Rs. 6,48,83,677 in the previous year. The sinking fund invested up to March
against the debt amounted to Rs. 1,50,80,816, leaving a net liability of R s ^ 915
The war caused only a slight decrease in the value of securities held. ’ ^' ,04,I 55 .
5. The assets of the Municipality at the close of the year were approximately R s
crores and the liabilities Rs. j} crores. The actual excess of assets over diabilit
amounted to Rs. 3,29,89,097, an increase of 14 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees over the previous year.
6. The total amount collected under all heads, exclusive of miscellaneous receipts I
toll fees, was Rs. 88,97,617 as against Rs. 87,43,767 for the previous year. The final jl
assessment rose from Rs. 5,79,47,463 to Rs. 5,98,41,390, the number of properties assessed
having risen from 61,293 to 61,990. The total outstanding dues at the end of the year
amounted to Rs. 56,529.
7. The number of applications for permission to build or re-build aggregated 355835
against 3,525 in the previous year. In all 2,604 notices were issued to house-owners, I 0
71 1 cases prosecutions were initiated in the Magistrates’ Courts. In 368 out of these cases
the parties complied with municipal requirements before the service of process, in 118 cases
they were warned and discharged, in 1 50 cases they were convicted and fined and 75 cases
were pending at the end of the year. Action was taken for the removal of Tgunsafeor
ruinous buildings and 163 inflammable and insanitary huts. Nineteen buildings or parts
of buildings fell down during the year, resulting in the death of 3 persons and injury to 10,
8. Eight important roads were widened • by the addition of set backs. In all land
measuring 4,653 square yards estimated to cost Rs. 1,55,317 was added to the streets, Three
roads were taken over from the Bombay Improvement Trust and declared public, and 5
private streets were declared public under the provisions of the Municipal Act. The new
60 feet road leading west from Matunga Station was opened to traffic and named Lady Hardinge
Road. Considerable progress was made in the forming of foot-paths and pavements. The
area of roads metalled, including patching, was 5,070,156 square feet at a cost of Rs. 2,66,505,
Great difficulty is experienced in the improvement of the condition of the roads owing to the
scarcity.of labour and the constant breaking up of the roads for various purposes. The
tarring of roads was continued and the area so treated was 237,170 square yards at a cost of
Rs. 88,352. The certified expenditure on over-bridges amounted to Rs. 25,804. The
Elphinstone Road over-bridge was opened to traffic during the year. The nearly completed
work of the Currey Road over-bridge which was suspended at the outbreak of war has been
resumed. The French over-bridge which was closed to traffic in 1910 for renewal was
re-opened during the year.
9. The erection of new pumping machinery and boilers at Love Grove was completed
during the year, as also that of constructing the new low level sea out-fall up to low water
mark. The total cost of the latter construction was Rs. 2,29,551. The work of constructing
the submerged portion of the out-fall was proceeded with depart mentally. The duplication 0
the main sewer from Love Grove to Khetwadi Back Road, required to deal with the additional
calls on the drains consequent on the duplication of the Tansa water supply was procee mg
satisfactorily at the close of the year.
10. The Tansa, Vihar and Tulsi lakes supplied the city with 6,270, 44 10 an4 I,J ^
million gallons respectively. The number of bursts rose from 49 to 64 of which 11 ffer ®,f
the large mains. The number of new connections made was 651, and the total numbera
end of the year was 24,906. The work of raising the Tansa dam was continued. 16
lication of syphons was completed and the laying out of additional distributing n iains ■
nearly so.
11. The number of gas lamps was 6,119, an increase of 327 over the previous }’ ea h ^
the number of kerosene oil lamps was 1,357, a decrease of 193- Expenditure on g 5
amounted to Rs. 4,16,278, an increase of Rs. 11,367. ^ ^
12. Municipal workshops were fully employed. The work ° 4 trans-
constantly increasing owing to the increased use of valuable machinery and mec an
port by the Municipality. The workshops made an estimated profit of Ks. 5 ) w
preferred to the various departments amounting to Rs. 2,53,978.