Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, on Monday, presented a Rs. 11.03-crore deficit outcome budget for the year 2013-14. However, he exuded confidence that the deficit could be overcome by augmenting the local body’s revenue sources, as it was done for the 2012-13 budget.
The Mayor had presented a similar deficit budget of Rs. 9.22 crore for 2012-13, but it turned out to be a surplus budget of Rs. 7.39 crore as new demands were raised for property tax, water charges and underground drainage charges among others. The water charges were revised during the fiscal.
Among the new schemes in the budget is the proposal to set up Madurai Entrepreneurship Park and medical tourism centre. The local body proposes to develop infrastructure to promote medical tourism and information technology sectors in the city. The vacant land near Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Stand would be used for the entrepreneurship park and the Vandiyur tank area would be converted into a medical tourism centre, the Mayor said.
The total outlay of the budget was Rs. 705.91 crore. The income had been pegged at Rs. 694.89 crore.
Though the Mayor thanked Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for allowing the Corporation to fill vacancies after 10 years, he did not give further details on the Corporation’s proposal on recruitment.
With regard to the plan to construct six flyovers at important road junctions in the city, the State government had given clearance for two, the Mayor said. The six flyovers had been planned at Goripalayam junction, Aavin junction, Melur Road, South Veli Street, Anna Nagar and Periyar bus stand at a total cost of Rs. 50 crore.
The corporation has proposed to construct four subways at a total cost of Rs. 8 crore. The Mayor revived the proposal to make Vandiyur tank area a tourist spot at a cost of Rs. 60 crore with boating facility.
Modernisation of the five toll plazas on the Ring Road and widening it to six lanes near the toll plazas at a cost of Rs. 13 crore and increasing the ward development fund from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh a year are the other highlights of the budget.
