Thane Municipal Corporation’s Vehicle Rentals Add to Budget Burden.

With rising expenses and shrinking income, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is now under scrutiny for spending crores on vehicle rentals. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s office has been allotted five Innova vehicles by TMC for official use. Last year, the estimated vehicle rental cost was ₹1.6 crore. This year, it has surged to ₹2.4 crore. The corporation is reportedly spending lakhs every month just for the operation of these vehicles. Previously, Eknath Shinde was provided vehicles for the Chief Minister’s office, but amid TMC’s ongoing financial crisis, the continuation of such expenses is raising eyebrows. The COVID-19 pandemic had already hit TMC’s revenues, and since then, it has been struggling to balance income and expenditure. Many departments are now heavily dependent on state government funding. To cope with expenses, tenders are being issued to contractors to handle tasks more economically. Between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, TMC budgeted ₹1.6 crore for vehicle operations, but with the recent hike in usage, the actual cost is expected to touch ₹2.4 crore.