KOCHI: The city Corporation’s budget for the 2017-18 financial year (FY) presented on Saturday, stressed the mantra of comprehensive development of all the sectors, besides measures to step up the revenue collection.
Deputy Mayor T J Vinodh unveiled the surplus budget expecting a revenue receipt of Rs 854.16 crore and an expenditure of Rs 822.29 crore,with a surplus of Rs 16.83 crore.
It revised the income estimate for the 2016-17 FY to Rs 637.15 and expenditure to Rs 552.08 cr.
Besides allocating funds for road development, Rs 1 crore was earmarked for improving the public transport facilities of West Kochi by roping in the KSRTC, KURTC, KMRL and UMTA. The budget has addressed major issues like the solid waste management, sewerage treatment, shared auto, modernised traffic junctions, multi-level parking, mosquito menace and flooding. While Rs 15 crore was set apart for laying of drainage, Rs 38 crore,including the Centre’s AMRUT funds, was earmarked for the canal restoration works.
Revenue generation
The imposition of the timber tax and the Metro special development charge for the buildings situated near the Metro stations and the Metro corridors were the major proposals in this year’s budget for increasing the revenue generation.
Though, the Corporation had decided to implement the special development charge last year, the revised date of the Kochi Metro’s commissioning forced the civic body to include the proposal in the 2017-18 budget.The civic body expects to mop up additional taxes to the tune of Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crore by implementing the proposals.
According to T J Vinodh, the Corporation will puts its foot down on the collection of the property tax from the schools which have not been paying the same for several years. This is expected to bring in Rs 4 cr to the civic body’s coffers. Besides, the proposal to collect the parking fee from more city localities will help to mop up Rs 1 crore.