The Hindu 12.02.2014
Infrastructure gets focus in municipality budget
Rs.12.24-crore surplus budget presented for 2014-15 fiscal in Municipal Council
The vice chairperson of Palakkad municipality, M. Saheeda, presented a Rs.12.24-crore surplus budget for 2014-15 financial year at the council meeting held here on Tuesday.
The budget presented by her showed an estimated total earning of Rs.144.27 crore and expenditure of Rs.132.02 crore for the next financial year.
The budget proposed to take up 14 major works in the next financial year. A sum of Rs.2 crore would be spent for the construction of the Palakkad Development Authority complex; Rs.94 lakh for the modernisation of slaughter houses; Rs.50 lakh for the renovation of municipal parks; Rs.75 lakh for construction a gas based crematorium at Vazhakadavu-Jainemdu; Rs.10 lakh for completion of Kallikkad Khabarstan; Rs.20 lakh for construction of Anganwadis; Rs.15 lakh for drinking water supply; Rs.10 lakh for the renovation of Town Hall Annex; Rs.20 lakh for the construction of quarters for municipal employees. In her budget speech, Mrs. Saheeda said that four major development works of the municipality was approved by State government and recommended it to the Central government for financial assistance.
Recommended projects
The projects recommended by the State government are Rs. 36.9 crore for constructing the third phase of the drinking water supply scheme; Rs.16.87 crore for the development of Melamuri market; Rs.13.03 crore for drainage construction and Rs.5 crore for renovation of municipal roads.
The budget also promised to set up a new waste management plant to tackle the problem of solid waste management.
The budget also proposed to take up with financial assistance from the State government the construction of flyovers at Court Road-PHO road in Sultanpet and at Fort Maidan-Civil Station road to ease the traffic congestion in the town. The presentation of the budget was objected to by members of the BJP. Its leader in the council, N. Sivarajan, said that Ms. Saheeda had no right to present a budget under a chairman against whom a no-confidence motion was moved by her and other councillors..
Palakkad municipality had recently created history when the ruling UDF moved a no-confidence motion against its own chairman Abdul Khoodose.
But the no-confidence motion could not be discussed for want of support from councillors.