Ahmedabad municipal commissioner presents Rs 2256.88 cr budget

Ahmedabad, Jan 25 (UNI) Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam today presented a Rs 55.03-crore surplus budget for year 2007-08 for the civic body.

Talking to media persons after presenting the budget, Mr Gautam said the Rs 2256.88 crore budget has several special plans for the city, with an emphasis on easing the traffic congestion in Kalupur and Laldarwaja areas.

He informed that the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) is chalking out a plan for preservation of the historical identities of Laldarwaja and Kalupur.

There are plans to lay a 2.8-km-long elevated corridor for buses from Sarangpur to Delhi Darwaja at a cost of Rs 150 crore to reduce traffic congestion at Kalupur, while the Lal Darwaja development plan will cost Rs 37 crore, he said.

The Municipal Commissioner said the civic body proposes to levy a tax on owners of vacant land. The details of the tax structure are yet to be worked out, he said and added that if the tax structure is approved, it could yeild an additional revenue to the tune of around Rs 50 crore.

The Municipal Commissioner's budget has proposed a marginal increase in property tax and water and sewerage taxes which are expected to yeild an additional revenue of Rs 34 crore.

UNI