VIJAYAWADA: The cash-strapped Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has drafted a proposal to introduce a budget of `1,441 crore for the financial year 2018-19. A meeting in this regard was held at Mayor Koneru Sreedhar’s chamber recently. The drafted budget proposal would be submitted before the standing committee in the next few days.According to the VMC officials, for the fourth consecutive year, the corporation got `1,000 crore-plus budget after the TDP-ruled council came to power. In the year before, the civic body had approved a budget of `1,327.65 crore for the fiscal 2017-18.
The main source of income for the corporation is the tax collected from property owners in the city; other minor sources include vacant land tax, water and sewerage charges, advertising revenue, fee from car parking and from mobile phone towers.
Keeping in view the budget drafted for 2017-18, this year, officials have reduced allocations to the Engineering Department and instead have focused on allocating more budget for the Public Health Department and the Urban Community Development wing to implement various welfare schemes for the benefit of residents. In addition, the officials have also accorded top priority in allocating enough funds for the completion of ongoing infrastructure projects such as developing internal roads, establishing underground drainage connections and water supply.
The members of the standing committee also proposed to increase the corporators’ annual development fund to `20 lakh from the present `10 lakh. “The drafted budget proposals submitted by the officials are public-friendly and there is no chance of tax revision. Discussions will be conducted in the standing committee meeting and the council before submitting it to the State government,’’ the Mayor said.