KOCHI: The district panchayat’s budget attracted sharp criticism from the opposition which said the projects are like ‘old wine in a new bottle’.
‘’No new projects have been included. Most of the projects announced are outdated and replicas of those in the last budget. The only difference is the language used to define them,” said opposition leader P S Shyla, who is also the chairperson of the welfare standing committee.
She said the projects apparently emerged from the vivid imagination of the ruling front leaders. “The projects will fail to bring about comprehensive development.
Even the amount allocated for Pokkali farming is meagre. If the allocation was Rs 40 lakh last year, this year it is only Rs 10 lakh. The Central Government grant is used only in the education sector,” said Shyla.
The opposition also said the budget failed to give attention to women’s safety. “There is nothing for the s afety of women and children, who are the victims of assault. The budget should have set aside some fund for installing CCTVs for the safety of women,” said Ajitha Sheelan.
The bottled water project also drew flak from the opposition. “The district needs a permanent water source. There is no need for distributing bottled water to the people,” said A P Subash, another opposition member.