The Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) has projected a budget of ₹252.57 crore for the financial year 2017-18 against the allocation of ₹253.88 crore made in the financial year 2016-17.
The revenue sources of the budget include -- ₹37.05 crore through property tax, other income ₹10 crore, rents ₹3.82 crore, public health ₹1.36 crore, town planning ₹22.29 crore, engineering section ₹10.52 crore, deposits ₹16.82 crore, grants ₹141.83 crore etc.
Similarly, the spendings were made under the following heads: general administration ₹8.22 crore, public health ₹24.11 crore, town planning ₹2.07 crore, engineering section ₹54.70 crore, deposits, advances and loans ₹16.72 crore, and other expenses ₹137.07 crore.
The budget was formally passed during the MCK special general body meeting conducted by Mayor S. Ravinder Singh and Commissioner K. Shashanka. The budget had made allocations of ₹1 crore for the launch of ₹5-a-meal programme in the town for the benefit of poor people.
When the corporators asked how the corporation would increase its revenues without increasing property tax, the Mayor said that they had conducted a survey and found that several people were paying less property tax. The Geographic Information Survey (GIS) was ordered to bring in illegal structures under the property tax net and increasing the revenue of the corporation, he added.
Earlier, corporator AV Ramana flayed the town planning authorities for not removing the encroachments on the main R&B roads which are causing several traffic snarls. He urged the town planning department officials to act tough on encroachers and make way for the beautification of R&B roads.
