Rs.1 lakh more for Kozhikode wards

Budget a repetition of last year's, says M.T. Padma

Deputy Mayor P.T. Abdul Latheef had presented the 14th Budget on Monday that had no major announcements. Photo: K. Ragesh

The city Corporation council, on Tuesday, adopted the annual Budget for Kozhikode Corporation for 2014-15 after making a few amendments.

Deputy Mayor P.T. Abdul Latheef had presented the 14th Budget on Monday that had no major announcements. The projected income was Rs.327.67 crore while expenditure was Rs.316.9 crore. In 2013-14, the total income for the Corporation was Rs.252.54 crore and the expenditure, Rs.232.88 crore.

One of the amendments pertained to the ward-wise allocation to the 75 segments in the city. Each ward would receive an additional amount of Rs.1 lakh. The amendments had been passed after a marathon discussion that started at 9 a.m. and concluded at 8 p.m. Mayor A.K. Premajam was in the chair.

MP criticised

Taking part in the discussions, many councillors from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] raised allegations against M.K. Raghavan, MP, that he had been biased in disbursing funds to their wards.

However, Leader of the Opposition M.T. Padma alleged that the Budget presented by the Deputy Mayor was a repetition of what he had presented the previous year. No new projects had been announced for the development of the city, she said.

Congress councillor C.P. Salim said it had ignored the needs of the fishermen community in the city.

Only a paltry sum of Rs.2 lakh had been set aside for the development of women in the community. This was inadequate. More funds should be allocated for solving their basic problems, he urged.

Indian Union Muslim League member P.V. Avaran alleged that the Budget contained no recommendations regarding increase in the revenue of the Corporation.

Drinking water

No positive schemes had been mentioned in the Budget to tackle drinking water shortage and traffic congestion, he said.

Socialist Janata (Democratic) member N.C. Moyinkutty said no programmes had been worked out to solve the problems relating to drinking water, electricity, and solid waste disposal.

The Mankavau Working Women’s Hostel, proposed in the Budget, had been conceived when Hymavathi Thayattu was the Mayor decades ago.

She had been the first woman to be elected to the post of Mayor in the State. Unfortunately, the council failed to materialise the project even today.