Thrissur corporation budget proposals to end traffic woes, waste threat

Thrissur: The Thrissur corporation plans to bring to an end the traffic woes and introduce better waste management projects besides enhancing basic infrastructure in the corporation limit. Deputy mayor Varghese Kandamkulathy on Friday presented a '635-crore budget for 2016-17 with a surplus of Rs 44.66 crore.

There are no proposals to increase taxes and fees and there are no new taxes either. In his budget speech, Mr Kandamkulathiy made it clear that emphasis would be given to collect taxes and fee arrears and increase the tax revenue. The budge has kept apart '45 crore for the waste management projects and beautification of the city. '20 crore will be spent on road development, including construction of two new roads. They are an elevated highway from Puzhakkal Sobha City to Mannuthy NH 47 and a bund road from Kokkalai Vanchikulam to Chettupuzha.

These projects will help ease traffic in Thrissur town as the vehicles from Palakkad, Kozhikkode, Ollur and Vadanappally can bypass the town. A scheme to bring more water from Peechi dam to the corporation to provide drinking water to all households in its limit was also announced. As many as 150 self-reliant drinking water supply projects and a new project in Karuvannoor river would also be taken up.

Flyovers will be constructed at West Fort, Poonkunnam Aswini Junction, East Fort, Manorama Junction, Kokkala Junction, Fathima Nagar, Koor-kanchery Junction, Kuriachira, Patturaikkal and Kuttanellor. Subways will be constructed near Mission Hospital, Mother Hospital and Metro Hospital. Foot overbridges at Sakthan bus stand, north bus stand, railway station and St Thomas college are planned. The corporation will produce 50 megawatt power through solar and small-scale hydro-power projects, the budget said.