KOCHI: Kochi corporation’s budget for financial year 2025-26, tabled on Monday, has proposed ambitious plans for the city.
They include big spending on urban infrastructure development, setting up night shelters, hosting sports and cultural events, establishing age-friendly spaces, and launching comprehensive waste management initiatives.
The current council’s last budget, presented by Deputy Mayor K A Ansiya, also suggests using Kudumbashree members for tax collection until the complete switchover to online services.
The budget proposes an income of Rs 1,206 crore and an expenditure of Rs 943.64 crore, with a surplus of Rs 262.36 crore. The corporation expects an additional income of Rs 50 crore via the improvement on the economic front, Ansiya said.
Mayor M Anilkumar, addressing the media later, said the budget focuses on the welfare of common people, including Haritha Karma Sena members, autorickshaw drivers, daily wagers, and others who are not necessarily voters in the city.
“We aim to distribute health cards to everyone and ensure health insurance for the common people. Setting up night shelters with the help of the district administration and other agencies can help homeless people and street vendors. Also, projects including the Thuruthy project and Santhipuram colony are progressing,” the mayor said, emphasising that the aim is to eradicate extreme poverty in the city.
An amount of Rs 10 crore has been set aside for the extreme poverty eradication initiative, he said.
The budget has also allocated funds for the renovation and development of open spaces, cultural centres including the Edappally convention centre, the Mattancherry and Palluruthy town halls, mini-halls, mini-stadiums, and palliative and senior care projects.
“The corporation will be paying the money due to contractors until March 2023. Also, we can revive the plan to issue municipal bonds generating more funds,” Anilkumar said.
The data on development work at the division level will also be published, he added.
UDF, BJP slam budget
Councillors from the UDF and the BJP, however, alleged that the budget is a mere repetition of previous budgets.
“The Life Mission projects, projects for street vendors, renovation of Kokers cinema spending Rs 2 crore, cleaning of Fort Kochi beach, and several other projects were announced in the previous budget. However, several projects haven’t been completed. Also,
projects including canal rejuvenation, waterlogging prevention, and road development have not been given importance,” said Antony Kureethara, the leader of the opposition in the council.
Major allocations
Edappally convention centre: Rs 46 crore
Projects to prevent waterlogging: Rs 20 crore
Drainage masterplan: Rs 10 crore
Samridhi in Fort Kochi, Palluruthy and Kadavanthra: Rs 2 crore
Waste compactors: Rs 5.5 crore
Road cluster project: Rs 30 crore
Projects related to anganwadis: Rs 12 crore
Age-friendly projects: Rs 5 crore
