KOCHI: The annual budget of the City Corporation for the 2017 – 18 fiscal will be presented by deputy mayor T.J. Vinod on Saturday. As the ruling bench claims more than 70 per cent of the budget proposals announced in 2016-17 were either completed or initiated, this year’s focus is likely to be on announcing new projects. The budget is also expected to have proposals to plug revenue loss and identifying new funding sources.
“While many proposals for revenue enhancement like vacant plot cess, revenue adalat, collecting default tax from government and semi-government offices, CSR pool, intensive professional tax collection drive, imposing property tax on Cochin Port Trust areas and identifying and reclaiming the corporation’s lost assets, special development charge could be either initiated or completed, a few other proposals require the government’s approval. Such initiatives could improve the financial health of the civic body considerably,” said the deputy mayor.
According to the deputy mayor, preparatory works for many of the key budget proposals like waste to energy plant at Brahmapuram, e-waste free city, drinking water and canal restoration and road development works have been completed. Meanwhile, some of the long-drawn project proposals like e-governance, decentralised sewage plants and renovation of markets still remain on paper.
