NEW DELHI: The scorching heat of an early summer in the capital is somewhat being tempered by expectation that life might become better after the municipal polls on April 23, given the cool election promises being made by the contending parties. Not surprisingly, however, none of the parties is revealing where it will find the funds to back the generous assurances. The reality, as Delhi’s citizens know well, is that the three municipal corporations are hamstrung by a chronic cash crunch that has forced employees into striking work over delayed salaries, foiled attempts to check outbreaks of dengue and other diseases and left civic services in a shambles.With a cumulative budget of Rs 9,551 crore in 2014-15, the three municipal bodies spent an average of just Rs 5,340 per person in a year. Nearly 40% of the money went into paying civic employees and corporators, and to meet general administrative expenses. Sanitation activities , like collection and disposal of garbage, and cleaning of drains, accounted for just Rs 1,258 per person. Healthcare, including running dispensaries and conducting disease prevention programmes, came for even less at Rs758 per person. Compare this with the spending of Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation , the country’s richest municipal body with an annual budget over five times that of Delhi. It spent three times more on health and two times more on the education per person. Remember, the population residing in Mumbai’s municipal area is considerably less than in Delhi.How does Mumbai manage to generate more income? Can’t Delhi do the same? Of course, Delhi’s status as a Union territory with an assembly hampers full devolution of powers to local bodies, unlike in the case of Mumbai. Octroi, development charges and property tax are the main sources of revenue for the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. Delhi’s municipalities derive almost 40% of their incomes from grants given by the state government. Water distribution is a significant source of income in Mumbai, but in Delhi this has been hived off to a separate body under the state government.In short, for the municipalities in the capital to become resource rich, either the whole set-up in Delhi needs to be changed or more grants will have to be given to them. This crucial fact, of course, doesn’t exercise the minds of the political leaders out wooing the voters.