Mysore civic body has deficit budget

The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has set a record target of over Rs 200 crore in revenues for 2009-10. This, despite the civic body’s budget seeing a deficit of Rs 20 crore in 2008-09.

The corporation has drawn up a Rs 231.85 crore budget with an opening balance of Rs 21.77 crore and has proposed an expenditure of Rs 223.76 crore, leaving a mandatory surplus of Rs 8.09 crore. Mayor Purushotham presented the budget at a special meeting of the council on Friday, after over an hour-long wrangling on the issue of not holding elections to the standing committees, including the finance committee, the chairman of which should present the budget.

Lesser mobilisation of property tax and cut in grants by the state led to a revenue shortfall last year. The revenue target was Rs 170.80 crore, while realisation was only Rs 151.10 crore, a gap of Rs 17.70 crore, resulting in a fall in expenditure, from Rs 177.58 crore to Rs 164.06 crore.

However, the city’s infrastructure development received a fillip with the state government releasing funds under the Rs 100 crore special grants and works taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

“The year 2009-10 may be termed MCC’s golden era. For the first time in its history, MCC’s budget estimates have crossed the Rs 200 crore mark with flow of grants from the state and the Centre as never before. This has helped initiation of schemes unique to Mysore to retain its beauty and environment,” the Mayor said.

In 2009-10, the budget anticipated revenues of Rs 50.23 crore from property tax, Rs 33.50 crore under water tax, Rs 17.30 crore under various heads of fees like building, ground rent, road cutting, development charges, inspection charges, fines among others. It also expected Rs 4 crore in revenues from from trade licences, Rs 2.4 crore from rent, Rs 2.5 crore from property sale and Rs 2 crore from advertisement tax and Rs 63.50 crore as grants from the state.

Major proposals drawn up for the year comprises greening the city by developing pubic parks, gardens and planting 18,000 avenue trees (Rs 4.5 crore), renovation of the town hall (Rs 1.5 crore), processing water at the Vidyaranyapuram waste water unit and supply for non-drinking purposes.

MCC has also planned multi-level parking facility at Gadi Chowk, KSRTC Bus Stand and Zoo Gardens, development of markets, half-completed Mayura complex, Landsowne Building and heritage buildings. It has proposed to cut the Rs 31 crore electricity bill by setting up a central monitoring facility.

Payments have been made for land acquisition for supply of drinking water from the Kabini, while Rs 22.50 crore has been released for the Rs 115.37 crore five-package restoration of storm water drainages. Steps have been initiated for housing the city’s poor at Rs 52.35 crore and garbage disposal on scientific lines.

The MCC is supervising these four JNNURM projects.