Coimbatore corporation’s budget focuses on old projects, say opposition councillors

Coimbatore: The proposed 2026-27 budget largely focused on projects announced in previous budgets, such as pink parks, the Noyyal river front development project, bio-CNG initiatives, and the waste-to-energy plants at Vellalore. Two AIADMK councillors staged a walkout during the budget meeting on Monday, protesting corporation's ‘priorities and allocations'.
AIADMK councillor R Prabhakaran (ward number 47) said, "There is nothing in the proposed budget for students, the public or youngsters. Despite hiking property tax by 100%, a deficit budget has been presented. No new projects have been announced. Only old projects have been repeated. In the 2025-26 budget, a multilevel complex was announced, the same is listed in the upcoming year. The multilevel car parking at Crosscut Road, removal of hyacinth in the smart city lakes, skywalk in three locations, including Gandhipuram and Ukkadam, and expansion of the Sathyamangalam Road and Marudhamalai Road, all these remain just in papers. In the school education department, smart class and industrial visits were listed in the current financial year's budget itself. Both are listed again in the upcoming financial year's budget with no changes." CPI councillor of ward 41 K Shanthi said, "We hope that scheme roads will be announced in future budgets and implemented." Further, ongoing projects like the construction of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres, bio-CNG plant at Vellalore, construction of Ukkadam bus terminal, underground drainage works and bio-mining phase II have also been listed in the propsed budget. Corporation commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said, "Ongoing projects will also be mentioned in the propsed budget, owing to delay in fund allocation or detailed project report approval. If such projects are left out of the budget, they might get dropped. Moreover, the payments and settlement of ongoing projects will be made in the upcoming year, so those projects will be integrated in the upcoming year for accountability. The absence of scheme roads is a clerical error and will be rectified."