Big fat BBMP budget sees midnight release
BENGALURU: The late night release of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) budget on Thursday has raised many questions from experts, citizens and former corporators. They also termed the whole act as a late night thriller movie release.
That is not all. Former corporators have also questioned the amount allocated in the BBMP budget in the light of the recently passed Fiscal Responsibility Act. “As per the Act, BBMP budget should not exceed the previous budget by 10 per cent. But this 2022-23 budget exceeds the set estimate. Many legal and financial experts are closely assessing it and could also challenge it in the court,”
said a former councillor, requesting anonymity. Councillors and experts slammed the BBMP and termed it as “death of democracy” and said that officials have no accountability and responsibility. “The bureaucrats are bosses at the moment and they are having their way with everything. They are not following the democratic path in releasing the budget,” another ex-corporator pointed out.
However, others differ. They state that despite pressure from MLAs, the budget has been released at the end of the financial year. “Earlier there were instances where the budget would be presented in April or May, but this time it is March. However the way in which it has been done is not right. It has to be appreciated that the budget has been uploaded on the website which the BBMP would shy away from soon after its release,” said former Congress corporator Gunashekhar.
BBMP officials defended and said: “The budget was approved by the government around 8pm and after a lot deliberation, it was decided that without any formal announcement it will be uploaded. We did not want to make any more changes in the budget, so it was uploaded immediately.”
BBMP Special Commissioner, Finance, Thulasi Maddineni, told The New Indian Express that earlier the budget was proposed for Rs 9,019 crore. But after assessing other central and state funding, inclusion
of state budget announcements like converting B-Khata sites to A-Khata, development expenditure and provisional expenses, the budget amount has increased to Rs 10,48,428.08 crore.
Budget purse
Rs 6,911.49 cr PWD
Rs 60cr for Arterial & sub-arterial roads maintenance
Rs 40cr for SWD maintenance
Rs 1,469 cr for SWM
Rs 100 cr for operation, establishment of landfills as per NGT
Rs 75 cr for scientific landfill at balance pits of Mittiganahalli and bunds development
Rs 374.34 cr for Social Welfare Department
Rs 285 cr Health Department
Rs 32 cr urban forestry
Rs 25 cr lake maintenance
Rs 113 cr Education Department
Rs 174.38 cr Horticulture Department