KOCHI: The state budget has come as a big disappointment for Kochi, as no allocations have been made for major projects. Mayor M Anilkumar said this comes after the previous budget had assigned adequate funds for city-specific projects.
“This year, we requested financial support for limited projects in Kochi, knowing the limitations of the state government. However, Operation Breakthrough, the flood mitigation programme, major road projects — Goshree-Mamangalam and Palluruthy parallel roads — and a few in the tourism sector needed support from the state government,” said Anilkumar. “The request for funds for these projects was reasonable, and it’s disappointing that they were not addressed,” he added.
He said that if the government doesn’t allocate adequate funds to improve the infrastructure development projects in Kochi, the state economy will be affected, as the city is the state’s commercial hub.
The corporation’s funds alone cannot solve the city’s waterlogging problem. “In the light of extreme climate change, Kochi is among the cities at risk of rising sea levels. With each passing year, the waterlogging issue has worsened. If the government does not provide funds, it would be difficult to take forward the Operation Breakthrough projects.
All the efforts taken till now will go in vain,” the mayor said.
However, Dr N K Sanil, a Justice Krishna Iyer Movement volunteer, believes the Rs 14.50 crore allocated for the Cochin Cancer Research Centre is adequate.
"This will pay for the salary of the staff and other expenditures, and it is sufficient. The government allocated the same amount for this purpose last year as well," Dr Sanil said. He said that it is mentioned in the budget that the construction of the CCRC is progressing.“It is good to know that the government is noticing it,” he added.