Mangalore:  MCC budget focuses on development, waste management

Pics: Dayananda Kukkaje 
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)

Mangalore, Feb 15: The annual budget of Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) for the year 2013-14 was presented by Shantha R, chairperson, Standing Committee on Accounts, Standing Committee on Taxation, Finance and Appeals, on Thursday February 14, with an expected  revenue of Rs 257.66 crore, against an expenditure of Rs 257.60 crore, with a surplus of Rs 5.84 crore.

The revenue gathered has been Rs 35.00 crore from water tax, Rs 29.00 crore from self-assessed property tax, Rs 1.30 crore from trade license, Rs 7.26 crore from building control fees, developmental fees, Rs 3.69 crore from markets, Rs 5 crore from solid waste impost, considering the grant-in-aid given by governments and other income sources, a total income of Rs  257.66 is expected. 

In 2013-14, development programmes and welfare council have been given Rs 17.95 crore, Rs 14.25 crore for maintenance work, Rs 25 crore for maintenance of solid-waste, security personnel expenditure at Rs 2.5 crore, Rs 8.96 crore for council’s annual maintenance, Rs 1.28 crore stock and for vehicle purchase, Rs 3 crore for Tumbe vented dam maintenance and calculating the total expenditure and income from government grants Rs 257.66 crore is expected and the tax income will hold surplus of Rs 6.04 lac.

For perfect administration, for biometric machines to be implemented to provide speedy and updated service to the people, computerization of all divisions of the City Corporation, foreword note for grant of Rs 3 crore to the government has been sent and in future all service information will be provided to people online.

Concentrating on the development of the population in the city and calculating the growth of the population in 2026, the council has decided to mitigate the water supply, total 160 MLD water supply project is being implemented and the storage capacity of  Tumbe water dam has been increased from 45 days to 120 days by building the new vented dam worth of Rs 75.50 crore.

Provisions of Rs 10 lac has been made for victims of natural disasters and Rs 15 lac for supporting sports. Under ‘Swasta Kutira’ programme Rs 70 lac has been reserved for repairing the houses of people who are below the poverty line excluding the Rs 2 lac under Kutira Jyothi 2 (excluding SC/ST).

Of the Rs 17.55 crore reserved for developmental programmes, Rs 13.5 crore has been reserved for developmental programmes, Rs 3.07 crore for SC/ST developmental programmes, Rs 98 lac to eradicate city poverty and social welfare, Rs 40.50 lac for welfare of physical disabled and Rs 7 crore for paying bills.

In state government grants, Rs 18.19 crore is reserved, in which Rs 9.59 crore is sanctioned for various programme like Tumbe vented dam, water supply, and under sewage, welfare programme of SC/ST, poor welfare programme, and for physically disabled.                     

In chief minister’s special grant for two to MCC, Rs 100 crore special package has been granted and Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned, Rs 86 crore has been spent on this programme.

In 2012-13 Rs 17.04 crore was sanctioned under the electricity grant for electricity street lights and water supply, and Rs 25 crore is expected from the government.

Rs 15.21 crore has been sanctioned for grants, roads, and bridges under the scheme of 13th Finance Commission and all work related to this programme is in process.

The MCC has given prominence to building a multi-complex market in Bejai and the work in progress. All roads relating to the bus stand in the limits have been widened and concreted and this time MCC has planned to raise its income by giving license and permission to advertisement boards.

MCC also plans to collect the solid waste disposal from 60 wards and 8 contractors have been named to collect the solid waste in future using hydraulic vehicles. A 100 percent of home wastes will be collected.

For the development of SC/ST in the year 2013-14 Rs 3.04 crore has been reserved and this will be implemented for the development of SC/ST.

Shanker Bhat, corporator, said that this is a huge budget in the history of MCC and is concentrated on development. He also demanded that the sanctioned Rs 3 crore for Tumbe vented dam should be given for the construction of an over bridge in Jeppu Kodpady.  

Council opposition leader said that there is no footpath for people to walk and the council has failed to concentrate on footpaths thus ignoring the poor.   

Mariamma Thomas said the council should include the scheme of ‘Thali Bhagya’ which was helpful to the poor.    

On this occasion, Bhat announced that the election commission had decided that the forthcoming MCC election date  is March 7, 2013, and women will gets 50 percent reservation.