Budget: Focus on Housing and Health

Giving priority to drinking water projects, housing projects and efficient waste management schemes, the Paravoor Municipality presented its annual budget 2014-15 on Monday.

Vice-chairman and chairman of the standing committee of finance, K S Shahul Hameed presented the budget in which Rs.79.61 crore has been projected as income, the expenditure has been fixed at Rs.79.40 crore and Rs.8.38 crore kept as reserve fund.

According to the budget, Rs.4.34 crore has been allotted to Integrated Housing Slum Development (IHSD) Scheme, Rs.7.25 crore for waste management schemes under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) and Rs.5 crore for housing projects under Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY).

 For industrial development, the budget has earmarked Rs.3 crore for establishing an industrial centre and Rs.4 crore for an IT park on PPP model in the heart of the town.For health schemes, Rs.16 crore has been earmarked for state-sponsored National Rural Health Mission schemes, Rs.1.5 crore for establishing an organic manure plant for waste management, Rs.1.5 crore for removing waste from the source itself and Rs.19 crore for building a stormwater disposal system. As part of infrastructure development, Rs.1 lakh has been kept aside for building a modern bus terminal near NH-17 and Rs.4.5 lakh for each member for development works in their respective wards.

Expansion project worth Rs.4 crore has been planned for the existing vegetable market.For storing and marketing of agricultural products, Rs.11 crore has been set aside.Fund has been allocated to establish a germ-free meat-and-fish processing centre at Pallithazham market, a well-equipped slaughter house, a modern bus stand-cum-shopping complex at the present limited-stop bus stand and high-mast LED lamps at important junctions, among other major projects.