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It’s pro-development, says ruling party

Wednesday, 13 February 2013 11:27 administrator
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The Hindu                     13.02.2013

It’s pro-development, says ruling party

Staff Correspondent

Opposition members term it an ‘election budget’

Ruling party members have hailed the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation budget for 2013-14 as being “pro-development”. However, Opposition members have termed it an “election budget”, aimed at wooing voters.

‘Lacks vision’

Leader of the Opposition Dasharath Wali said that the budget was lacking in many aspects and several projects that were required for the development of the twin cities had been left out. He said that his party was opposed to accepting the budget as it “lacked vision and left out crucial matters”.

JD(S) councillor Saroja felt that more funds should have been earmarked for development of villages in HDMC limits and also for development and repair of nalas in the twin cities.

BJP councillors, who have identified themselves with the Karnataka Janata Paksha, Venkatesh Mestri and Ashok Niduvani also termed it as “election budget”. They added that along with Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar’s name, the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s name too should have been mentioned in the budget speech as he had allocated special grants for Hubli-Dharwad.

Raising objections to several points in the budget, the former Opposition leader Ganesh Tagargunti took exception to the “lackadaisical” attitude of the officials who, he said, were not interested in tapping existing revenue potentials. He suggested modifications in a few of the schemes mentioned in the budget.

‘Create land bank’

JD(S) councillor Rajanna Koravi stressed the need to create a land bank in villages that are in HDMC limits, keeping in mind the future infrastructural needs of the twin cities.

Several councillors suggested modifications in the budget proposals.

The former Opposition leader Deepak Chinchore had a verbal altercation with Mayor Pandurang Patil and the former Mayor Viranna Savadi alleging that the corporation was collecting excess taxes from citizens.

Subsequently, he took exception to a remark by the former Mayor Viranna Savadi and staged a walkout.

Mr. Savadi too suggested some modifications in the proposals after which Dr. Patil directed the officials to make modifications as suggested by the councillors before sending it to the government.

Last Updated on Thursday, 14 February 2013 10:14
 

Budget presentation delayed as Opposition members stage protest

Wednesday, 13 February 2013 11:20 administrator
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The Hindu                        13.02.2013

Budget presentation delayed as Opposition members stage protestAngry:Opposition members arguing with Hubli-Dharwad Mayor Pandurang Patil opposing the presentation of the budget in the HDMC council on Tuesday.

Angry:Opposition members arguing with Hubli-Dharwad Mayor Pandurang Patil opposing the presentation of the budget in the HDMC council on Tuesday.
 
The Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation budget for 2013-14 was presented here on Tuesday after a nearly one-hour delay as Opposition members staged protests, claiming that “the budget was prepared in a hurry”.

As soon as the council meeting began here on Tuesday, Congress members, led by Leader of the Opposition Dasharath Wali and former Opposition leaders Deepak Chinchore and Ganesh Tagargunti raised objections claiming there were technical issues and flaws in the budget prepared by the Standing Committee on Tax Fixation, Finance and Appeals.

The Opposition members took objection claiming that thebudget had been prepared in a hurry.

‘Intimated late’

They said that though it was required to send the notice of the budget meeting to HDMC councillors a week in advance, they had received it late. This indicated that the budget was being presented in a hurry owing to the confusion regarding the date of elections to the urban local bodies.

They alleged that there were factual errors in the budget. Even the names of the standing committee members had not been mentioned in the printed copies of the budget estimates, they said and added that it wasn’t even clear who was going to present the budget.

Mr. Tagargunti and Mr. Chinchore said that the usual practice was to present the budget in the last week of February. The ruling party had broken tradition by trying to present an “election budget” just for the sake of wooing voters, they alleged.

They urged Mayor Pandurang Patil to present the budget after following all procedures and rectifying errors.

The Mayor, in turn, said there was no need to give such importance to technical errors and that it could be rectified immediately. He appealed to the Opposition members to allow the presentation of the budget.

However, the Opposition members rushed to the well of the house and again urged the Mayor to put off the budget presentation. When the Mayor stuck to his stand, they resorted to a dharna and raised slogans against the ruling party and the Mayor.

They continued to protest for nearly 40 minutes. Dr. Patil then adjourned the council meeting for 15 minutes.

When the meeting resumed, the Opposition leaders did not press for their earlier demand to be fulfilled. Subsequently, the Mayor asked Chairman of the Standing Committee on Tax Fixation, Finance and Appeals Shivu Hiremath to present the budget.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 February 2013 11:27
 

Denied tablets, BMC extends caste-based census deadline

Thursday, 06 September 2012 10:39 administrator
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The Indian Express   06.09.2012

Denied tablets, BMC extends caste-based census deadline

Short of tablet PCs, BMC has pushed the deadline for completing the city’s caste-based census by four months.The first Socio Economic and Caste Census started in mid-August includes collecting data on tablets supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

Dr Arun Bamne, BMC’s executive health officer, said, “We have extended the deadline. Shortage of tablets and data entry operators is delaying the exercise.”

Only 2,600 of the 6,000 tablets needed for the census have been received and, corporation officials said, many of these had technical defects. “BHEL was to supply about 6,000 low-cost tablets, but it could supply only 50 per cent at the beginning of the project. This has slowed down the process,” said an official, adding that BHEL had also failed to provide sufficient number of data entry operators.

So far, 1,365 of the total 27,000 population blocks have been surveyed. An estimated 1.24 crore people are to be surveyed.The method is, as enumerators ask questions data entry operators make notes on PCs. They visit families in each block and add to the basic information preloaded on the tablets from National Population Register. Each family is first asked to verify the preloaded information and later posed a number of additional questions.

Through the caste-based census, which is being conducted for the first time since 1931, the government aims to determine which of India’s 250 million families will be eligible for a slew of anti-poverty subsidies — housing and electricity — and schemes - old-age pensions and health insurance. Most significantly, the census may become the basis to decide which families receive low-cost foodgrains.

Last year, BMC had conducted National Census 2011 covering over 27,500 house blocks. Apart from basic information such as name and age, it had collected details such as marital status, mother tongue, place of birth, work, education, caste and migration. The caste-based census is being condcted by the central government following pressure from OBC people’s representatives.
Last Updated on Thursday, 06 September 2012 10:42
 
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