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Financial Management

Surface transport, overbridges to get focus in Corporation Budget

Sunday, 28 June 2009 12:36 administrator
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Source : The Hindu Date : 28.06.2009

Surface transport, overbridges to get focus in Corporation Budget

Staff Reporter

Shows revenue of Rs. 865 crore, surplus of Rs. 30 crore

KOCHI: The Corporation budget, which was presented by the Deputy Mayor C.K. Manisankar at the Council here on Saturday, laid stress on initiating action on projects that have been discussed for long.

He presented a surplus budget of Rs. 30.54 crore, with revenue of Rs. 865.45 crore and expenditure of Rs. 834.91 crore.

One of the highlights of this year’s budget was the projects announced for improving the efficiency of functioning of the Corporation. This includes the double entry account system for financial management to asset management monitoring information system.

Steps would be taken to have a public disclosure system in place, through which the public can get details of Corporation’s activities. Another area given importance in the budget is improvement of surface transport. Public committees are being formed for implementation of road projects, which will have local councillor, former councillors and prominent personalities in the region as members, Mayor Mercy Williams said, as she addressed the media after the budget presentation.

The budget had a mention about operating 200 buses under the Special Purpose Vehicle project to be started in association with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. When pointed out that the KSRTC is not keen for tie-ups with Corporation, Ms. Williams said that dissociating Corporation would mean disaster, as funds under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission would be released only through local bodies.

In his budget speech, Mr. Manisankar said that KITCO has been asked to prepare detailed project reports for railway overbridges at Pachalam, Atlantis, Ponnurunni, Mullassery Canal and Willington Island, flyover at Sahodaran Ayyappan Road and bridges at Island-Edakochi and Kannangatt.

Funds have been identified for overbridges at Ponnurunni, Pachalam and Atlantis and land acquisition works are progressing. Land acquired for Ponnurunni overbridge has been handed over to Roads and Bridges Corporation.

This year’s budget marked out Rs. one crore as road maintenance emergency fund. Mr. Manisankar said that 98.85 km out of the roads under the Corporation were tarred during the last financial year.

Funds have been marked out in the budget for improving the drainage system in the city. As much as Rs. 102.07 crore has been identified under the JNNURM-KSUDP project for completing a modern sewerage system for the whole city area.

The Corporation has marked out Rs. 201.17 crore for drinking water distribution project and Rs. 9.2 crore for solid waste management, which included preparation of solid waste management bylaw, completion of Refuse Derived Fuel plant, effluent treatment plant, procuring fogging machine and vehicles. It was also suggested that the master plan for the city would be completed this year itself.

The social welfare projects that found mention in the budget were EMS housing scheme, building basic infrastructure for slum dwellers, constructing twin houses at fishermen colony, renovation of SRM colony and completion of the housing scheme.

Last Updated on Sunday, 28 June 2009 12:38
 

Rs. 616 lakh surplus budget for Belgaum city corporation

Sunday, 28 June 2009 12:21 administrator
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Source : The Hindu Date : 28.06.2009

Rs. 616 lakh surplus budget for Belgaum city corporation

Staff Correspondent

 

Rs. 10,492.88 lakh to be spent on various projects Rs. 5 lakh to be spent on cow-dung cakes for cremation of bodies to minimise cutting of trees

Belgaum: The Chairman of the Standing Committee for Taxation, Finance and Appeals, Pandhari P. Parab, presented a surplus budget of Rs. 616.16 lakh for the Belgaum City Corporation (BCC) here on Thursday.

However, Mayor Yallappa Sidraj Kubar adjourned the meeting to June 29 at the old building of the corporation when corporators from ruling and opposition groups staged a protest over poor quality of construction work on the new corporation building. The corporators got angry when the budget speech of Mr. Parab became inaudible as it was echoing.

Presenting a revised budget of 2008-09 and estimates for 2009-10 at the corporation council’s first meeting for this financial year, Mr. Parab proposed to raise Rs. 9,697.04 lakh of revenue receipts and Rs. 1,345 lakh of capital receipts. Thus, the overall receipts expected during the year accounted for Rs. 11,042.04 lakh.

The corporation proposed to spend Rs. 10,492.88 lakh on various projects, including the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, he said.

The total revenue anticipated during 2009-10 accounted for Rs. 9,697.04 lakh and the revised estimate for 2008-09 had been put at Rs. 9,403.97 lakh through various grants and receipts, he said. The corporation proposed to spend Rs. 5 lakh on cow-dung cakes for cremation of bodies to minimise pollution and cutting of trees.

The corporation proposed to purchase new cars for the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor and two hearse vans, Mr. Parab said.

Last Updated on Sunday, 28 June 2009 12:23
 

Punjab annual Plan finalised at Rs.8,600 crore

Saturday, 27 June 2009 06:25 administrator
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Source : The Hindu Date : 27.06.2009

Punjab annual Plan finalised at Rs.8,600 crore

Special Correspondent

- Photo: S. Subramanium

Plan time: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia in New Delhi on Friday.

NEW DELHI: Punjab’s annual Plan for 2009-10 was finalised at Rs.8,600 crore at a meeting here on Friday between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and State Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The Plan outlay includes an additional Central assistance component of Rs.75 crore for priority projects.

Initiating the discussion, Mr. Ahluwalia lauded the State Government for taking certain decisions to improve the overall financial position and suggested higher investment in areas such as power, roads and other infrastructure sectors. He said efforts should be made to take full advantage of development programmes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission to strengthen social security and upgrade the infrastructure in small towns.

Mr. Ahluwalia also cautioned against increased borrowings and non-Plan spending and advised the State to prepare a detailed report on all the growth indicators for the general population and the Scheduled Castes. Such a report focusing on agriculture, education, health and other service sectors would help bridge the gap in development between the SCs and the general population within a short span of time, he said.

Apprising the Commission of the initiatives taken by his government during the last financial year, Mr. Badal said the annual Plan for 2009-10 would seek to impart a special thrust to development of infrastructure such as roads, power generation and rejuvenation of irrigation facilities.

Noting that its efforts towards diversification of agriculture through contract farming had been a success, he said 2.52 lakh acres of additional land was brought under hybrid maize and sunflower cultivation. Besides, the State was also working on formulating a comprehensive agro-industrial policy, he said.

The Chief Minister said a number of schemes were taken up for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes while more than 100 ‘Adarsh’ schools had been set up, mostly in backward areas, for improving the literacy levels in these pockets.

As for Punjab’s financial position, Mr. Badal expressed concern over its increasing debt stock and requested the Commission to consider an increase in the borrowing limit while seeking special assistance for implementing the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations. He also urged the Commission to consider funds for land acquisition to upgrade rural roads under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana.

Last Updated on Saturday, 27 June 2009 07:05
 
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