Rs. 237 cr. for infrastructure development

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 17. The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) has set itself an ambitious target of spending Rs. 237 crores in the year 2001-2002 for taking up infrastructure development works in the twin cities in the quest to make it a better place to live and an investors' destination.

"The coming year will be a landmark one with the biggest possible expenditure being made for public works," announced the MCH Commissioner, Dr.P.K. Mohanty, at a press conference here on Saturday.

Presenting the proposals for a "foundation, reform-oriented" and "pro-poor" budget for the coming year, he said the MCH would float municipal bonds to raise Rs. 100 crore to beef up its finances. And, all these reforms and public works would be carried out without raising any taxes but by "correction of inequities in revenue generation," he declared.

There was a proposal to go for credit rating for approaching the market. Though the MCH would be spending Rs. 67 crores till this month end, the aim was to spend double and even triple to the amount for next year. A World Bank line of credit was also available to be processed through the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) and other institutions.

The MCH has shown its revenue receipts for 2000-01 to be Rs. 252.74 crores and the revenue expenditure for 2001-02 to be Rs. 252.42 crores. The capital expenditure for 2001-02 is to be around Rs. 237.50 crores with Rs. 107.14 crores from revenue transfers, Rs. 29.86 crores from Government grants, 0.5 crore from external grants and Rs. 100 crores from borrowings. For roads, bridges, drains, street lighting and others alone, as much as Rs. 158.50 crores is to be spent for the city.

Listing out the series of reform measures he had initiated to tone up the functioning of the MCH, Dr. Mohanty said a salary fund and a pension fund would be started for the benefit of workers with a corpus of six-month salary expenditure and Rs. 5 crores, respectively, for two to three years.

An effort was being made to reduce the expenditure on the salaries being disbursed to its employees. This year the percentage of money given for salaries from the budget was 32 per cent and next year, it was expected to be brought down to 23 per cent. "Our long-term aim is to reduce it to Rs. 15 per cent," he said. This would be done by privatising some of the services and maintenance works.

An urban poverty alleviation fund of Rs. 18 crores would be raised each year for spending funds in the slum areas of the city. It was proposed to lift 50-odd slums among the 792 each year from its squalid status by improving civic amenities.

The property tax collection was an outstanding success with both the Central and State Government undertakings readily agreeing to pay, he claimed. "The tax paying culture must be promoted and the services should be demanded by the tax payer," he said. There was also a proposal to start a confederation of colony and welfare associations to get to know their demands.

Dr. Mohanty vowed to make the MCH functioning "open and transparent" with total computerisation by the end of summer. The town planning department would be "disintegrated" and hereafter permissions for buildings would have to be given within a month.

"Clear functional clarity is being made. Each employee would be made accountable for the specific job, attendance marked and performance would be monitored," he said.

"We have carefully drafted the budget by holding wide consultations. Our motto is quality service with least cost," added Dr. Mohanty.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : NIMS Director presented Lifetime Award
Next     : One of the best Congress meets: veterans