After 3-month delay, MCC presents ₹1,000 cr budget

Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) on Monday presented Rs 1,000 crore budget, giving importance to solid waste management and cleanliness to ensure the city gets back the coveted cleanest city tag. After a delay of nearly three months due to various reasons, the budget was presented in the House. MCC has only five months to implement the budgetary announcements as the term of the House ends in November.

R Nagaraju, chairman of the standing committee on taxation, finance and appeal, presented the budget at a special meeting of the council which was presided over by mayor Shivakumar. MCC commissioner Lakshmikantha Reddy was present.The budget aims at upgrading the capacity of sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Kesare and Vidyaranyapuram to 60 MLD and 100 MLD, respectively, by adopting the latest technologies in treating sewage water. The city also has another sewage treatment plant at Rayanakere which has the capacity to treating 60 MLD sewage.This apart, an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) would be established at the city corporation to monitor the efficacy and control the functioning of the STPs in the city. The budget also highlighted the need for starting solid waste treatment plants in the city to segregate about 600 tonnes of solid waste that is generated on a daily basis under the MCC limits. The corporation plans to build new STPs of 40-tonne capacity at Rayanakere and 100-tonne STPs each at Kesare and Vidyaranyapuram, respectively.₹9 crore surplus budgetThe MCC expects a revenue of Rs 1,058.01 crore and an expenditure of Rs 1,048.96 crore with a surplus of Rs. 9.05 crore for the 2023-24 financial year. Last year, the MCC had presented a surplus budget of Rs 6.11 crore. MCC has projected to collect a revenue of Rs 171.75 crore through property tax, Rs 69.95 cr through water tax and UGD management, Rs 120.01 through building license and other fees and Rs 100 crore from trade license during 2023-24.In order to streamline the street food business, the city corporation has proposed to construct modernised food streets at Valmiki Road and Lalitha Mahal Palace Road.In an effort to make new water connections affordable for BPL card holders and slum dwellers, the corporation has proposed to collect Rs 1,115 out of the total Rs 3,115 towards the initial payment and the remaining amount would be collected in instalments of Rs 100 every month. This apart, the city corporation will also sponsor e-passenger autorickshaws for 10 interested women belonging to SC/ST communities.