BBMP budget on March 27; focus on fiscal discipline

The BBMP budget will be presented at 10 am on Saturday with the administrator Gaurav Gupta presiding over the session in the absence of the council.

The session will be held at the IPP Training Centre, Malleswaram.

Gupta stressed the need for government support, pointing out that the BBMP is implementing several state projects. "The budget will focus on infrastructure at BBMP schools and hospitals, besides other essential needs," he added.

Though the new law governing BBMP stipulates that the budget should be implemented by March 10, the absence of elected councillors meant the responsibility of drafting the budget has fallen on the administrator, who has the powers of the mayor and the standing committees.

Budgets presented so far by the Congress-JD(S) and the BJP for the past five years ranged between Rs 9,300 crore and Rs 11,700 crore.

The BBMP has also received 9,700 inputs from the public during the ‘My City My Budget’ campaign it conducted in association with Janaagraha. Much of the campaign’s inputs concern footpaths and toilets.

BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said: “The budget will focus on problems the citizens of Bengaluru are facing and will rectify the inadequacies in the civic body. It will also bring in financial discipline in the BBMP."