The Hindu             11.02.2014

BBMP budget for 2014-15 to be presented on February 17

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will present budget for the financial year 2014-15 on February 17.

Mayor
B.S. Sathyanarayana told presspersons here on Monday that the 2014-15
budget would be realistic. The Standing Committee for Taxation and
Finance is reviewing the draft budget.

According to
the Mayor, though no new projects would be announced the thrust would be
on completion of those being implemented, and also revenue
mobilisation.

It may be mentioned that the BJP
administration is for the first time presenting the budget before the
end of the previous financial year. As per the Karnataka Municipal
Corporations Act, 1976, the budget has to be approved by the council
three weeks before the beginning of the next financial year. The
previous three budgets had been submitted much after the fiscal year
began.

With the Parliamentary polls round the corner,
BBMP sources believe that the BJP, which is the ruling party in the
BBMP council, may use the budget to announce some populist schemes.

BBMP sources said that the outlay of this budget is likely to be around Rs. 8,000 crore.

While
the BJP administration is claiming that the budget will be realistic,
the Opposition differs. Jayamahal councillor M.K. Gunashekar pointed out
that only 40 per cent of the 2013-14 budget had been implemented.

“The
remaining projects will reappear in the budget. BBMP has outstanding
loans of Rs. 3,000 crore and pending bills of Rs. 2,000 crore. This
budget is not going to be very different from the previous budgets,” he
said.