Budget spells the PPP mantra

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It will be a public-private participation model for a slew of projects proposed in the annual budget of the Kochi corporation for 2012-2013.

The deputy mayor and chairperson of the finance standing committee, B. Bhadra, presented the budget on Tuesday with a total income of Rs 757.74 crore and expenditure of Rs 731.93 crore leaving a surplus of Rs 16. 77 crore.

The mayor, Tony Chammany, termed the budget realistic, which was prepared in consultation with various agencies, organisations and civil society, while the opposition alleged that it had been left out of any consultations.

Income sources The budget which failed to evoke much enthusiasm from the benches has proposals that identify new sources of income for the cash-strapped corporation.

Revision of rent, efforts to retake encroached corporation properties and lands, converting dead assets into income sources are some major recommendations. The civic body expects an additional income of Rs 2 crore from this.

A city development special fund, with the support of the state government, will be formed to mobilise funds.

Other recommendations for increasing revenue are ownership reassessment of shops, hiking property tax, utilising the corporate social responsibility fund and the collection of tax arrears from government and semi-government establishments.

Projects Much significance has been given to infrastructural development like roads, setting up new bus stands and a new RDF plant for treating plastic waste. Works on the Thammanam-Pullepady road will start once land acquisition is over.

The government had promised Rs 25 crore for this. One major announcement was starting the water transport hovercraft service connecting Kochi with other cities like Kumarakom, Varkala, Kovalam and Kozhikode.

The budget has proposals to address major issues like solid waste management, sewerage treatment, the mosquito problem, flooding, drinking water and transport.

However, most projects mentioned in the budget were the incomplete projects that were announced in the previous budget.