Civic budget: Mayor goes to school

COIMBATORE: The corporation budget presented by mayor S M Velusamy on Thursday stood out for the absence of any big idea.

Education got maximum fund allocation and infrastructure projects for
water and sewage were promised for areas newly added to the corporation.
No major infrastructure project like metro or mono rail features in the
budget document but there is mention of subways and multi-level car
parking which have already received the approval of the corporation.
“The completion of the announced projects and the ongoing projects are
the top priority of the city municipal corporation,” said Velusamy,
mayor, Coimbatore Municipal Corporation.

The mayor has budgeted
for deficit of Rs 20.99 crore with income for the financial year
2013-14 estimated at Rs 808.12 crore as against expenditure of Rs 829.11
crore.

The major focus of the budget is on education sector
and corporation school students are likely to benefit. Ranging from the
distribution of tablets to 36 boys and six girls from the special
corporation school for hearing and speech impaired students to self
defence training for girl students from Class 8 upwards, the city
corporation has made significant allocations. Career counselling, smart
class rooms and yoga training will also now be a feature of corporation
schools. “All the proposals included in the budget will be realised and
allocations were made to ensure that the budget is balanced and
effective in all aspects,” said G Latha, commissioner, Coimbatore
Municipal Corporation.

Expectedly, the corporation has focussed
on beefing up infrastructure in the city suburbs that have been
recently added to the corporation. New water distribution lines at the
expense of Rs 80 lakh will be built for Kavundampalayam and Vadavalli
areas. Water distribution lines in Kurichi and Kuniamuthur areas that
draw water from the Aaliyar drinking water supply scheme will be built.
The corporation will seek funds from the state government for these
projects once a Detailed Project Report is prepared. The civic body has
also allocated a crore each for implementing the Integrated Underground
Sewage and stormwater drain in 40 newly-added wards of the corporation.

For the core city, Rs 2 crore has been allocated for two skywalks near
Coimbatore Medical College Hospital and Singanallur Bus Stand. The
corporation has also allocated Rs 12.75 crore for developing a new road
from Kovaipudur to Puttuviki locality after the completion of a new
bridge at Puttuviki. The route is expected to serve as an alternate way
for Kerala-bound vehicles that need not enter the city centre. The
corporation has announced the construction of special modernised toilets
for women
at Singanallur and Ukkadam bus stands and also at Corporation SRP
Ammani Ammal and Oppanakara Street Girls Higher Secondary Schools. “The
special toilets should be constructed at Mettupalayam and Gandhipuram
bus stands,” said V Ramamoorthy, CPM councillor ward no 21.

The
budget has also made provision for shifting Thiagi Kumaran Market from
the Town Hall area to another location with better parking facilities.
Additional allocation has been allocated for shifting Aringar Anna
Vegetable Market near Sai Baba Colony to Kavundampalayam, which was
announced in the previous budget with an allocation of Rs 50 lakh.

Health sector will receive Rs 50 lakh for upgrading urban health posts and for conducting medical camps for sanitary workers.

Playgrounds in all five zones and 20 corporation schools are to be
expanded and funds amounting to Rs 1.1 crore have been allotted for the
purpose. Ten new parks in five corporation zones including two women and
childrens’ only parks are included in the proposals with an allocation
of Rs 2 crore for these projects.

Councillors from DMK and
Congress, the main opposition, boycotted the budget discussion session
and claimed the corporation has only rehashed previous projects in the
budget. “There is absolutely nothing new in the budget and almost
everything has been already announced. Most of the announcements
including skywalks and other proposed projects are long pending,” said A
Nandakumar, leader of opposition, CMC.