The Attingal municipality will soon mechanise its solid waste treatment plant preparatory to making it a world-class facility. A plastic shredding unit will be established and land will be acquired for a sanitary landfill.
These were among the programmes outlined in the municipality's budget for 2012-13 presented on Wednesday by chairman of Finance standing committee M. Pradeep. The budget estimates a gross income of Rs.22.48 crore and expenditure of Rs. 20.81 crore for the municipality.
Garbage treatment facilities will be installed in all houses in the municipality. The installation of such a facility will be made mandatory for all commercial institutions. “We will offer a choice between a pipe-composting system, vermin-composting and a bio-gas plant. However, pipe-composting will be the most suitable for houses here,” Mr. Pradeep told The Hindu .
The municipality had spent Rs. 2.5 crore in repairing and relaying roads. Very soon, all roads in Attingal would be repaired and made fit for traffic, the budget noted. A sum of Rs.2.35 crore has been set aside for this.
With a view to augmenting the infrastructural facilities in schools, the budget has set aside Rs. 43 lakhs for constructing buildings at the Girls' High School, Attingal, and at the Government High School, Avanavanchery. An additional Rs.1.76 lakh has been earmarked for the education sector. The free breakfast scheme now on in some schools would be extended to all educational institutions, Mr. Pradeep said. A sum of Rs. 25 lakh has been set apart for the Ayyankali Employment Guarantee Scheme. Under the EMS Housing Scheme, the municipality has already given houses to 640 beneficiaries. Another 600 persons will be given houses under this scheme in the next financial year.
The municipality will work with the State government to ease traffic congestion at Attingal, the budget speech said. Discussions have been scheduled with the Chief Minister next week. Hospitals in the municipality would be allowed more funds to purchase drugs and other equipment. A new OP block will be set up at the Valiakunnu taluk hospital. The budget has earmarked Rs. 2.5 crore for public health initiatives.
On the education front, the budget promises an expansion of literacy programmes and a drive to bring all eligible persons under the Standard X equivalency examination.
