90 per cent of works on Periyar Drinking Water Scheme completed: Madurai Mayor
MADURAI: Madurai City Corporation Mayor Indirani Ponvasanth tabled a 40 crore deficit budget for the financial year 2024–2025, on Thursday. Several major announcements, including solar energy projects, smart roads and urban forestry projects are to be initiated under Madurai corporation.
According to the budget, the expected revenue for 2025-26 is Rs 1,439.40 crore, while the expected expenditure is Rs 1,480.13 crore.
In the education sector, the expected revenue is Rs 53.72 crore while the expenditure is projected as Rs 22.41 crore. Two other sectors — revenue and capital fund sector and drinking water and drainage funds — are expected to have Rs 31.91 crore and Rs 40.12 crore deficit respectively.
Indirani said the corporation had to make a repayment of Rs 40.53 crore, which is included in the projected expenditure, leading to a deficit budget.
During her budget speech, the mayor said the Periyar Drinking Water Scheme works are 90% complete, and is expected to be initiated soon.
She also mentioned that waste-to-energy projects under the CITIIS 2.0 scheme in Madurai will be taken up at Rs 314.69 crore, and also elaborated about various other schemes that are to be initiated in Madurai by the state government.
Busy stretches will be developed into smart roads, with an allocation of Rs 12.4 crore. In a move to reduce power charges, the city corporation has decided to set up solar panels in Vellakkal area for Rs 5 crore. Under the beautification process, the city corporation has allotted Rs 1 crore for decorating the bridges in the city with lights and plants.
The city corporation has announced to identity a space near Mattuthavani for establishing a food street and has allotted Rs 3 crore. Considering the effects of climate change, the city corporation has planned to develop urban forests in Vellakkal area, in a bid to increase the green cover.
In terms of the education sector, the city corporation has made several allocations for development of corporation schools. Rs 75 lakh has been allotted for construction of smart reading rooms in 24 schools, and Rs 2 crore for painting all corporation schools in the same colour.