AMC spent ₹10.88 crore on allowances and honorariums for unsalaried councillors in 3 years

While elected councillors of the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) do not receive an official salary, the civic body spent ₹10.88 crore on their honorariums and allowances over the past three years, according to official figures.

The expenditure includes fixed monthly honorariums, telephone and stationery allowances, and attendance payments for participating in meetings of the General Board, Standing Committee and various special committees. The amount was paid from the municipal corporation’s funds, which are financed through taxes collected from citizens.

Even councillors who are not members of any committee are entitled to a minimum payment of ₹15,000 per month.

Expenditure totals ₹10.88 crore over three years

Official records show that AMC spent a total of ₹10.88 crore on councillors during the past three years through honorariums and allowances.

The figure covers direct payments made to elected representatives. However, it does not include several facilities extended to councillors during the course of their duties.

Among them is the provision of mineral water bottles at meetings, official functions and municipal offices. The expenditure incurred on these facilities is separate from the ₹10.88 crore spent on honorariums and allowances.

Questions over public service and personal wealth

The figures are likely to renew a long-standing public debate about the finances of elected representatives.

Politics is often projected as a sphere of public service, yet it is not uncommon to see politicians acquire expensive vehicles, properties and other assets during their political careers. Many public representatives declare assets worth several crores while serving a five-year term.

Against that backdrop, the AMC expenditure figures raise a question frequently asked by residents: if the official payments made to councillors are relatively modest, how do so many public representatives emerge as crorepatis by the end of a single term?

The data itself does not provide an answer. It does, however, highlight the gap between the officially disclosed compensation paid by the civic body and the substantial wealth often reported by elected representatives.