The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) proposes to mop up additional revenues by tripling the fine imposed on unauthorised trade and by revising the rent of the premises it has let out in municipal buildings in Mysore City during 2011-12.
It anticipates that the three-time penalty would yield an additional Rs 3 crore, taking the civic body’s revenues to Rs 5 crore and the revision of municipal building rent would fetch revenues of Rs 4.10 crore.
During the last three quarter-ending December last, the MCC generated around 50 per cent of the anticipated revenues of Rs 242.90 crore for the year. The revenues during the nine months-ending December 2010 was Rs 129.23 crore, and in the remaining quarter of this year, it hopes to mobilise an additional Rs 85.24 crore to take its total revenue to an ambitious Rs 214.47 crore for the year.
Poor revenue generation has reflected on expenditure too. It stood at Rs 127.29 crore till December-end, which is less than 50 per cent of the budgeted expenditure of Rs 253.45 crore for 2010-11. Anticipating more revenue generation during the remaining three months of the financial year, the MCC has proposed a total expenditure of Rs 229.73 crore for the year.
The Rs 3.03 crore surplus budget for 2011-12, showing an anticipated revenue of Rs 426.96 crore, including last year’s surplus of Rs 7.73 crore, and an expenditure of Rs 423.92 crore, was presented at the MCC meeting on Tuesday by Finance and Taxation Committee Chairman Shivakumar.
The budget claimed that MCC had spent Rs 66 crore of the Rs 100 crore chief minister’s special grants for Mys-ore on time and of the 138 works taken up, 123 were completed. However, it gave no details.
It also failed to mention anything about the centrally-funded Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Reconstruction Mission (JNNURM) schemes’ grants received or spent. There was a lone statement that Rs 10 crore was earmarked for 2011-12 as MCC’s contribution to the JNNURM schemes, leaving one to wonder about JNNURM implementation in Mysore, which has taken a controversial turn.
During the coming year, it is proposed to undertake web-based monitoring of works implemented under the different heads to monitor and bring about transparency in them by monitoring their progress and the payments made. This would ensure the internal financial discipline in the MCC, Shivakumar observed.
Other major proposals comprise of multi-vehicle parking facility near the zoo and Mofussil Bus Stand, waste management at nine places, greening of Mysore by planting trees in association with the Forest Department, developing public parks (Rs 4.5 crore), earmarking zones for footpath vendors, creation of pet animal park, developing the Dufferin Clock Tower Square as a social gathering place (Rs 29 lakh), development of Devanur Tank (Rs 3 crore), road management and insurance for three years by contractors.
Provision of Rs 8 crore for backward classes and minorities and Rs 13.20 crore for SC-ST welfare covers Rs 25 lakh contribution for Dr Ambedkar Bhavan and Rs 30 lakh for Valmiki Bhavan.
