Cuttack, March 8: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has prepared a budget proposal of Rs 154.34 crore for 2011-2012 to provide better civic amenities to the citizens.
“It’s a pro-people budget estimate to provide better roads, drainage and sanitation facilities to the local residents. The proposal has been presented before the council for discussion in detail and approval on March 10,” mayor Saumendra Ghosh told The Telegraph today.
However, many are of the view the budget proposal is just old wine in a new bottle. Special projects listed in this year’s proposal were already present in the previous year’s package. Virtually, no new projects have been included in it. Sources in CMC’s finance, taxation and accounts standing committee conceded the projects on kalyan mandaps, multi-purpose complex at Bikash Bhawan, old age home, vending zones, foot over bridge, market complex and guest house near the library listed in the special project category were in last year’s budget and had not been implemented. The non-receipt of expected special grants from the government was stated to be the reason for it.
“But we have three new special projects — a multiplex, a municipal dispensary and night shelters,” Akhay Beura, head of standing committee for finance, taxation and accounts told The Telegraph today.
In 2010, Rs 7 crore was allotted for special projects and the amount has been raised to Rs 9.25 crore this time.
In 2010, CMC had allotted Rs 17.07 crore under the category of public convenience which included the improvement of roads, drains and street lighting in Cuttack. This amount has been raised to Rs 17.60 crore. The budget proposal has kept Rs 4 crore for improving the city’s drainage. Another Rs 4 crore has been proposed for the repair and renovation of city roads. In 2010, Rs 8.70 crore was allotted for public health, sanitation and medical services. “The amount has been raised to Rs 11.15 crore this year with Rs 6 crore earmarked for solid waste management,” Beura said. In the last budget estimate, CMC had allotted Rs 1 crore for mosquito control. This amount has not been increased.
The mayor placed the estimates as a surplus budget proposal before the municipal council yesterday. While the expenditure estimate for 2011-12 has been pegged at Rs 154.34 crore, the projected receipts for the year is 154.67 crore.
The budget estimates had carried forward Rs 2.29 crore from the past fiscal, but no new projects have been proposed to utilise the amount.
Corporators have already expressed their displeasure with the budget estimate taking into consideration the receipts against targeted estimates last year. Receipts from rental income from corporate properties and miscellaneous during the first three quarter of the past fiscal indicated that within that time, was less than 25 per cent of the targeted receipts.
“When Rs 3 crore was expected as rental income from corporate properties, it was less than Rs 12 lakh by December 2010. In fact, no receipts had been recorded by that time under the miscellaneous and others category when Rs 2.31 crore was estimated,” said a corporator on the condition of anonymity.
“Besides, we have earmarked 25 per cent of the proposed budget estimate (Rs 38.66) for the urban poor,” Beura claimed.
With this amount, the civic body plans to remodel, renovate and repair main storm water channels and tertiary drains.
