BMC Commissioner presents the civic budget for 2007-08

Mumbai, Jun 5 (UNI) Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Dr Jairaj Pathak today presented a surplus budget of Rs 35.33 crores for the year 2007-08.

The BMC had a surplus of Rs 44.35 crores last year and that money will be used by the civic body in the coming year.

According to the budget proposed by the commissioner, the net income by various schemes this year will be Rs 8,549.22 crores and the expense will be Rs 8,558.24 crores.

The size of budget estimate is Rs 12,866.22 crores for the year ending March 2008.

The major highlights of this year's budget are: The BMC has alloted Rs 320 crores for the BRIMSTOWAD Report in the last financial year and similarly Rs 150 crores was spent in 2006-07.

With the implementation of the BRIMSTOWAD project, the water carrying capacity of the drainage system has improved and a flood like situation in the flood prone areas can be avoided.

Apart from the strenghtening of civic infrastructure, this year's budget has allocations for improving civic services and citizen facilitation and social welfare.

The concentration of cement concrete roads has been alloted Rs 278.26 crores along with Rs 321.20 crores for construction of asphalt roads and repairing the existing roads by using trenchless technology.

The BMC Commissioner has alloted Rs 272.18 crores under the bridge estimates for the construction of bridges and subways as well as repairs and improvements.

The majority of pipelines in the city has been in use for more than a century and the BMC has alloted Rs 98 crores for water mains of 171 kms and rehabilitation of 215 kms of small diameter at a cost of Rs 166 crores. Similarly the Sluice valves will be repleced along with some of the trunk mains at a cost of Rs 92 crores.

The BMC has made allocations for the health section and a majority of BMC hospitals will be renovated. A provision of Rs 5 crores has been proposed for construction of a post-mortem building in LTMG hospital popularly called as Sion Hospital. Similarly Rs 6.50 crores has been proposed for the construction of a new building at Nair Dental College.

Manu Kumar Srivastav, Additinal Municipal Commissioner said, ''This year we have made allocations for the urban poor or the areas where the infrastructure is not at par with other areas in the city and around 220 padas have been identified in the city that will be developed.'' Mr Pathak said ''This is a very realistic budget and allocations have been made in the priority sectors and a sizeable amount of money will be spent on education.'' When asked whether he will be able to spend the money this yaer, Mr Pathak said, ''The budget passed last year had some hiccups because of the elections and still around 65 per cent of the schemes were passed and since we do not have any elections this year, we are sure of implementing all the projects this year.'' UNI JN KU VKG2155