GHMC budget gets mixed reaction

Hyderabad, February 18 : The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Monday passed Rs 3,800 crore budget for the financial year 2013-14.

Participating in the debate after GHMC Mayor Mohammad Majid Hussain presented the budget in the special meeting, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Congress corporators appreciated the budget, while the Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the same by calling it as anti-people.

Speaking on budget, Deputy Mayor D Rajkumar said that the budget was rightly focused on the developmental activities to be carried out by the GHMC during the next financial year. However, he proposed that the corporation should focus on the development of old city and to ensure the city becomes slum-free. Congress floor leader D Rambabu demanded that the officials be made accountable for execution of sanctioned works.

MIM floor leader Mohammad Nazeeruddin lauded the developmental schemes listed out in the budget for city’s development.

However, TDP floor leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy said that the annual budget was not raised adequately compared to the rising inflation. He also accused the GHMC of burdening the common by affecting hikes in the Profession Tax and Property Tax without providing basic amenities to the common man. He also condemned the officials for their failure to collect Property Tax and other dues from the government.

BJP floor leader Bangari Prakash demanded a probe into the spending for the COP-11. He also advised that at least 50 per cent of the revenues should be spent in the concerned circles where it was getting generated. He also demanded special measures to recover the Property Tax dues from the VVIPs.

Meanwhile, Congress corporator Mohammad Wajid Hussain objected when the Mayor allowed former Congress floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh to speak on the budget. Wajid Hussain said that the YSRCP was not a recognised party in the GHMC and therefore, its members could not be allowed to participate in the regular discussion.

The proceedings of the GHMC meeting were stalled for a few minutes when MBT Corporator Amjadullah Khan Khaled was evicted from the council hall. After being denied permission to speak, Khaled rushed to the Mayor’s podium in protest. Initially Majid Hussain tried to convince Khaled that he would be allowed to speak on Tuesday’s session. However, when Khaled refused to resume his seat, the marshals were called in and he was taken out of the council hall.

Congress MLC MS Prabhakar and other corporators Ayesha Rubina, Harishvardhan Reddy, Subhashini, SumilathaReddy and Mohsina Parveen also spoke.

In his reply to the debate, GHMC Commissioner MT Krishna Babu informed that the corproation has come out of the Rs 400 crore overdraft. He also informed that the GHMC was expecting to raise Rs 415 crore by the sale of surplus land allotted by the government. He said huge funds were not released by Centre under 13th Finance Commission due to non-conduct of local bodies election. However, since the elections are now being conducted, those funds would be released by the Centre, he said.

The Commissioner also listed out various measures being taken up by the GHMC to increase its revenues and their spending on developmental activities.

Later, the GHMC Mayor passed the budget for the financial year 2013-14. INN