Proposals on establishing a science park and a water
theme park in the city, expansion of the flower market in Srirangam,
extension of the underground drainage scheme for uncovered areas of the
city, establishment of a new market, and a slaughterhouse at Kattur
Pappakurichi are some of the salient features of the corporation Budget
for 2013-14.

With salary and pension payments
accounting for nearly 70 per cent of its revenue expenditure, the
Tiruchi Corporation will be saddled with a whopping deficit of Rs. 18.36
crore. The Budget estimates project the civic body’s total revenue for
the next financial year at Rs. 260.38 crore and expenditure at Rs.
278.74 crore. The budget tabled at a special meeting of the Corporation
Council chaired by Mayor A. Jaya, here on Monday. However, the
Corporation has managed to wipe out a deficit of Rs. 11.42 crore
projected in 2012-13 and has managed to record a surplus of Rs. 7.60
lakh during this financial year as per the revised estimates presented
along with the Budget. This was made possible through better revenue
receipts during the year, said V. Ayyappan, chairman, Standing Committee
on Taxation and Finance, tabling the budget. Mr. Ayyappan expressed
confidence that the deficit in 2013-14 too would be bridged through
better tax compliance and the civic body’s initiative to collect tax
arrears mired in litigations.

Nevertheless, the
corporation continues to depend heavily on State funds to improve civic
amenities in the city continues and expects an allocation of Rs. 39.69
crore under the Integrated Urban Development Mission (IUDM) during the
year for laying new blacktop roads, cement roads, and construction of
drains. Significant among the Budget proposals will be the move to
construct new buildings for the corporation maternity centres at
Woraiyur and West Boulevard Road in the city. The maternity centres are
to be converted into 24-hour hospitals with modern amenities and
equipment. An initial allotment of Rs. 50 lakh had been made for the
proposal.

A new market will be established at Kattur
Pappakurichi to cater to the needs of residents in a five new wards
created following the merger of Tiruverumbur Town Panchayat and four
other panchayats with the corporation. The market will be built at the
site where platform shops are currently operating. However, no financial
allocation has been specified. A proposal will be forwarded to the
government soon for the establishment of a modern slaughterhouse for
goats at Kattur Pappakurichi.

The Corporation has
proposed to install closed circuit television cameras at its main and
zonal offices, tax collection service centres and also at its garbage
dumping yard at Ariyamangalam. The move comes in the wake of a break-in
reported at the office of one of the Corporation Executive Engineers a
few months ago. The installation of the CCTV cameras at the garbage dump
is apparently was intended to monitor and check fire accidents.

The
civic body has revived proposals on establishing a water theme park and
a science park in the city, both mooted nearly a decade ago. The water
theme park is planned on a 15-acre site at Panchapur. However, the civic
body will seek expert opinion before firming up the proposal. The
science park is to come up at the corporation grounds at Anna Nagar,
where a similar project was abandoned midway through some years ago. The
corporation has now made an allocation of Rs. 3 crore for the project. A
proposal on extending the underground sewer system to uncovered areas
in the city, at an investment of Rs. 129.21 crore has been forwarded to
the government.

The project is proposed to be taken up under the IUDM and will depend on the sanction of the government.

The
corporation has proposed to expand the flower market at Srirangam by
constructing additional shops after demolishing a few dilapidated shops
at the old bus stand in the town. A new gasifier-based crematorium will
be established at Manalvarithurai at a cost of Rs. 75 lakh with
government assistance.

The council would take up the Budget for discussion on Thursday.