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(ARCHIVE) Vol. XVIII No. 22, march 1-15, 2009

Corporation presents welfare budget, but...

Little attention to roads, pavements and waterways
(By A Staff Reporter)

The Chennai Corporation budget for 2009/10 that was recently presented has, amidst a slew of sops keeping in mind an election year, a host of welfare measures for the city. However, there is very little promised by way of roads and waterways, in both of which the Corporation has a stake despite the multiplicity of agencies involved in them.

The Corporation budget clearly does not have a plan for roads and pavements beyond the usual noises that are annually made. It does not make any commitment to retaining the existing pavements and ensuring better utilisation of space both on the road and on the sides. It does not also have any policy statement on what its views are on the multiple illegal structures that dot public spaces, thereby preventing their utilisation. Given that in the last year the civic body came in for a lot of fire on its inability to monitor adherence to rules when it came to such constructions and utilisation of road space, a policy or plan on how these violations were to be controlled in future would have been welcome.

The Corporation has projected a revenue of Rs. 1613 crore with an expenditure of Rs. 1614 crore. What is interesting is that more than 60% of the expenditure is allotted towards personnel costs, including retirement and terminal benefits. It is clear that like all Government departments, the Corporation too is overstaffed and would do well to look into its numbers. Tax receipts stood at Rs. 320 crore in 2008/9 and are expected to cross Rs. 350 crore in the forthcoming financial year. Rs. 518 crore is being allocated to capital works, almost Rs. 113 crore more than last year.

Among the various welfare measures proposed are:

1. Reclamation and restoration of the landfills at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur. It has been proposed that outside agencies will be contracted to handle this on a build, operate and transfer basis. This should bring some relief to the residents of these two areas who have long been battling with the civic body over the insanitary conditions of the yards.

2. Beautification of beaches. Given the CZMA ruling against any construction on the beach, this aspect has been given less emphasis this year, unlike last year when Rs. 28 crore was allotted for beach beautification. However, the Corporation has announced that it will take steps to make the beaches plastic-free.

3. More flyovers. The Government continues to be blindly in favour of flyovers even as the questions over the long-term viability and effectiveness of these structures slowly gain ground. Feasibility studies for a flyover at Burkitt Road in T’Nagar have been announced. Foot over-bridges have also come in for some attention. The largely unused one on Village Road will be provided with an escalator. A new foot over-bridge with an escalator will come up on Sterling Road at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore.

4. Healthcare. This has come in for increased attention this year. Among the new proposals are two geriatric centres, one each in North and South Chennai. The Corporation also plans establishing mobile blood collection units and dispensaries. In addition, funds will be allocated for providing play areas in paediatric wards, creating facilities for women to practise yoga, and ensure that there are oxygen units at various hospitals in the city. In addition, the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet is to be modernised. A new hospital has also been promised in Alwarpet. A hospital for animals is also planned.

5. Other facilities. The emphasis on parks will continue this year. A new auditorium has been promised for Mylapore. Whether the area really needs one, given the plethora of venues it already has, has not been looked into. Interestingly, the Corporation’s budget is yet to be updated on its web site. The site continues to feature the budget for 2008/9 as a download. Is this an indication of the speed at which the civic body works?

 

In this issue

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