The Deccan Herald 31.08.2010
Rs 8400 cr Bangalore budget focuses on city infrastructure
Bangalore, Aug 30 (IANS):
Seven multi-level parking slots, white topping (cement coat) for main avenues, tree parks, fencing of major open drainages are among the plans to improve the tech hub envisaged in the Rs 8,488 crore 2010-11 budget of the Bangalore civic body.
The budget makes it mandatory for all Information Technology firms to set E-waste disposal facility. In the first budget presented by the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (Greater Bangalore City Corporation), no tax has been levied on the Bangaloreans.
This is also the first budget of the BBMP, formed after incorporating several areas into the city. Earlier the civic body was known as Bangalore City Corporation. Among the populist measures are free distribution of 20,000 cycles to the poor self-employed and labourers, P. N. Sadahiva, chairman of BBMP's tax and expenditure committee, said presenting the budget to the 198-member civic body.
The budget promises building of several modern shopping complexes in the city. Elections to BBMP were held for the first time in March this year and BJP won 112 seats, with Congress getting 64 and Janata Dal-Secular managing just 15 seats. The rest were won by Independents.
BJP captured Bangalore, nearly two years after it came to power for the first time in Karnataka in May 2008.
