The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) budget for 2022-23 has proposed a slew of development works including biomining of the legacy waste to shore up the cleanliness quotient of the city.
The budget was presented by M.S.Shobha, Chairperson, Standing Committee on Taxation, Finance and Appeals here on Thursday. The MCC envisages a revenue of ₹999.56 crore against a projected expenditure of ₹993.45 crore, leaving it with a surplus of ₹6.11 crore.
Property tax is the single important source for MCC’s resource mobilisation and the budget has set a target of realising ₹168.20 crore for the current financial year. Water charges and UGD cess is projected to accrue ₹63.35 crore besides which the MCC expects grants from various Central and State Government sources.
This includes ₹51.55 crore grant from the 15th State Finance Commission apart from ₹91.88 crore from the State Government as special grant towards provision of water supply and streetlights.
The citizens can breathe a sigh of relief as the legacy waste of nearly 3.08 lakh tonne accumulated at the Sewage Farm since decades will be treated through bioremediation. This will not only clear the black spot but will help the MCC reclaim 21 acres of land in the heart of the city. It will help eliminate groundwater pollution and air pollution apart from shoring up the city’s cleanliness and hygiene quotient and there is an allocation of ₹7 crore for the project in the budget.
The budget has also allotted ₹5 crore for the establishment of a C & D waste recycling plant with a capacity of handling 100 tonnes of building debris. It has set aside 9.05 acres of land for the purpose and will address the issue of construction debris dumped at random on the city outskirts along the Outer Ring Road.
Among the projects to be taken up during 2022-23 the budget has listed development of Devanuru Lake as a priority and it will be taken up as jointly with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority and towards which the MCC has allocated ₹2 crore. Besides, ₹3 crore has been set aside for development of parks and lawns. One park in each of the 65 wards will be identified for development.
There are 529 parks within the MCC limits of which 291 are being maintained after development. Paucity of funds and shortage of staff was impeding the MCC from taking up development of the remaining parks. Hence the Corporation will take up the works in partnership with private players including banks and industrialists who would be encouraged to maintain them. At least 150 parks will be taken up for development under PPP model.
A proposal has been submitted to the Government to keep in abeyance the interest component of arrears pertaining to water tax. The amount outstanding by way of water tax is ₹220.57 crore including ₹74.18 crore interest. In a bid to mop up at least the outstanding principal, the MCC has sought to lighten the interest burden on the defaulters. If the proposal is accepted the MCC will be in a position to recover a significant portion of the outstanding dues.
Mayor Sunanda Palanetra, MCC Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy and others were present.
