JOIN USKolar CMC presents Rs 15-lakh surplus budget
The local body expects a revenue of Rs 2.40 crore from property tax, Rs 47 lakh from water cess, Rs 20 lakh as rent for shopping stalls, Rs 30 lakh as development cess, Rs 15 lakh from fee for building licences and Rs 6 lakh from market cess. The total revenue for the coming financial year is projected at Rs 63.42 crore.
The urban local body will receive Rs 2.64 crore as salary grants, Rs 10 lakh from legislator’s grants, Rs 20 lakh under Drought Relief Scheme, Rs 4.50 crore from grants for power, Rs 5.95 crore from Karnataka State Financial Corporation, Rs 14.60 crore as extraordinary revenue and Rs 30 crore under Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns Scheme.
Expenditure
A sum of Rs 14.85 crore has been earmarked for construction of new roads, Rs 6.47 crore for drainage construction, Rs 1.50 crore for new pipeline, Rs two crore for purchase of new pumpsets, Rs 10 lakh for metalling, Rs 65 lakh for sanitation, Rs 2.19 crore for streetlights, Rs 1.50 crore for power bill, Rs 2.64 crore for salary and Rs 13.99 crore for other expenses.
The meeting to present the budget was marred with protests and dharnas. The residents of Gandhinagar staged a dharna right at the meeting venue. They withdrew their protest following an assurance to meet their demands. Later, K N Tyagaraj and others entered into the venue and submitted a memorandum urging the meeting to adopt a resolution on permanent irrigation project and drinking water facility for the City.
Before the meeting started, vice-president Rajesh and others took serious exception on not informing about the meeting in advance. Commissioner Ramdas lamented the lapse and promised of being diligent in future.
Water shortage
The meeting debated at length on measures to tackle the acute drinking water shortage that has cropped up in the City. Councillor Salauddin Babu suggested using generators to power the pumpsets for drawing water from the borewells. The meeting gave consent for the suggestion. The estimates were later approved in a hurry later.
Majority of the councillors attended the meeting chaired by City Municipal Council president K N Madhusudhan Kumar.