The City Municipal Council (CMC) presented a surplus budget of Rs 150.37 lakh for 2017-18 fiscal year. The total acceptance is Rs 4,941.54 lakh, while the total revenue is 10,072.77 lakh and the expenditure is Rs 9,922.40 lakh.
Delivering the budget talk on the occasion, CMC president Meenakshi Madhav Bannanje said the budget is prepared keeping in view the all-round development of 35 wards. She said Rs 167 lakh is earmarked for the development of SC/ST communities and Rs 37 lakh for poor people. Quality Council of India has declared Udupi CMC as an open defecation-free municipality. Under Swaccha Bharath Mission, Rs 8.44 lakh is offered as subsidy for the construction of toilets.
She said that 1.90 acres of land in Subramanya Nagara is earmarked to offer land sites to homeless needy. The SC/ST beneficiaries are given Rs 3.30 lakh under Ambedkar housing scheme and another Rs 2.70 lakh for the construction of the houses. She said Rs 100 lakh is earmarked for the compound walls of Bhujanga Park. Funds of Rs 440 lakh are spent on new road constructions and concretisation, Rs 11.80 lakh is spent on the renovation of Clock Tower.
She added the entire CMC office is included under e-governance. The 24X7 drinking water supply is planned for the people in the area. The pipe wells in areas like Dugglipadav, Indrali, Ananthnagara and Mannupall are repaired. Shimbra reservoir is built in Manipal. Around Rs 320 crore under ADB, KUDCEMP and Amrithamahothsava funds are released for drinking water and underground drainage programmes.
Bannanje added that a spacious commercial complex is built at a cost of Rs 175 lakh near KSRTC bus stop. The crematorium at Malpe is renovated at the cost of Rs 12.27 lakh. Asserting that cleanliness is the prime concern, the president said Rs 35 lakh is spent on a biomethane unit. Besides, a wind row compost shed is set up at the cost of Rs 200 lakh. She added that Rs 125 lakh is earmarked for the construction of houses for CMC officials, Rs 35 crore is released under Chief Minister Small and Medium town development scheme, Rs 132.59 crore is released under Amruth City Scheme, of which Rs 108.79 crore is spent on drinking water schemes and another Rs 22.74 crore is earmarked for underground drains.
Responding to the budgetary provisions, CMC member Dinaker Shetty Herga said that the 24X7 water supply will remain a myth as there are grim chances of water storage owing to improper maintenance and low rainfall. He urged the budgetary allocations to be equal to all wards. The budget ignored the housing schemes and also the assurances for the housing sites for homeless needy, he said and added that streetlight maintenance is utter failure. He also raised dissatisfaction over the scanty budgetary allocation for solid waste management and waste segregation of waste at source level.
Another member Vasanthi Shetty said that the budget has failed to highlight the afforestation process adopted in the CMC limits. She said that the wet wells at Nittur are not functioning and is spreading foul smell all over the area.
Published 01 February 2017, 18:24 IST