The Hindu 18.03.2010
Civic body approves surplus budget
Staff Reporter
| Eluru council witnesses hardly any debate on it |
Receipts are estimated at
Rs 63.26 cr.
Rs 11.87 cr. to be mobilised through property tax
Photo: A.V.G. Prasad 
Few takers: Most of the chairs remained unoccupied even as the Municipal Corporation of Eluru adopts its annual budget on Wednesday. —
ELURU: Apathy by council members marked the budget presentation made by the Municipal Corporation of Eluru (MCE) for 2010-11 on Wednesday, which happened to be the last feat during its five-year term coming to a close in the next five months. Even as the MCE had approved a surplus budget with an opening balance of Rs 6.06 crore with little discussion, nearly half the chairs reserved for the members from both the Opposition and treasury benches in the council hall were seen empty. It was conspicuous that the Opposition TDP members en masse played truant from the crucial session. Barring the expression of opinions by a couple of independent members, the budget was passed with hardly any debate.
The MCE's receipts were estimated to be at Rs 63.26 crore, excluding the opening balance, as against the expenditure projected at Rs 66.29 crore during the year. The municipal corporation is aimed at mobilising Rs 11.87 crore in the form of property taxes, Rs 40 crore as grants and loans from the State and Central governments, among others. It has been programmed to spend Rs 6.42 crore for improvement of drinking water and drainage systems, Rs. 54.59 lakh for urban planning, Rs. 6.9 crore for roads and Rs 1.4 crore for street lighting. Besides, the school education receives Rs 24.80 lakh.
Draws flak
Meanwhile, the Congress-ruled municipal corporation drew the flak from the independent members for its reported poor show with respect to mopping up of revenues under the heads of profession tax and property tax. Incidentally, there is no mention of revenues in the budget estimates to be collected in the form of compensation on profession tax and property tax. Independent members, Arnepalli Madhu and Majji Kanta Rao made a spirited criticism against the municipal corporation for preparing a budget which was ‘far from reality'. The budget, showing more expenditure and less revenues during the year, depicted the poor financial health of the municipal corporation, Mr. Madhu said. Observing that the municipal corporation had miserably failed to get even a single pie from the State and Central governments in spite of its expectations to receive Rs 85 crore in the form of grants during the previous financial year, he raised serious doubts over the realisation of the MCE's expectation of garnering Rs 40 crore as grants in the coming financial year.
