Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF-led ruling front at the city corporation on Wednesday presented Rs 73 crore surplus budget focusing on housing for all, scaling up of civic amenities, women friendly projects, extending hunger free project to everyone, disaster management and playgrounds. Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravikumar presented the budget with total expected revenue of Rs 1286 crores and an outlay of Rs 1213 crores. The budget also promised steel plates and water bottles to first standard students on the admission day as part of their green protocol initiative.
Mayor V.K. Prasanth claimed that the civic body could successfully launch or finish almost 60 percent of the project announced in the last year’s budget. He said that the aim of the civic body is to make the state capital a homeless-free city by 2020. “We were able to raise own fund by Rs 178 crore this financial year up from '107 crore during 2015-16,” he said.
The budget has allocated '70 lakh to constitute an emergency response team under the corporation and for buying disaster management equi-pment. The civic body has also decided to grant tax exemption for houses having green features.
Mayor came under fire for failing to express condolences to Pulwama CRPF martyrs before the budget presentation. Earlier cabient had expressed condolences at the meeting. However, ahead of the budget the ruling front failed to bring a condolence resolution. Congress and BJP hit out at Mayor for the lapse. Also the Congress Councillors protested the Kasargod murders by tying black clothes across their face.
