BBMP Budget 2023-24 Highlights: Focus on storm water drains, flyovers

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) budget 2023: Jayaram Raipura, the BBMP's special commissioner for Finance, on Thursday presented the civic body's budget, with a major focus on public works in Bengaluru, including the development of flyovers, junctions and storm water drains (SWDs).

Jayaram Raipura, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) special commissioner for Finance, on Thursday presented the civic body's budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 with a total outlay of around ₹11,000 crore. The budget presentation started at 11:30 am at Bengaluru's Town Hall.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) special commissioner for finance, Jayaram Raipura presenting the BBMP budget speech on Thursday.

BBMP Administrator Rakesh Singh and Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath were also present. Here are the highlights from the BBMP's 2023-24 budget:

1. De-centralisation: Officials will club two to three wards into a subdivision to ensure easier administration. “Understanding the humungous task and difficulty in managing the administration of 243 wards, it is proposed to have sub divisions with 3 to 4 wards, a division with 2 to 3 sub divisions and a few divisions making up one zone,” Raipura said.

2. BBMP properties to be fenced: The BBMP allocated ₹40 crore to determine and identify the agency's properties, including geo-tag-GPS marking of its lakes, digitization of records, chain-link fencing and installation of nameplates. “This will give impetus to the scheme of preserving BBMP's assets and turning them into sources of income,” Raipura said.

3. Recognition award: The BBMP has proposed to institute 'Nada Prabhu Kempegowda Innovation’ award - constituting of ₹2 lakh - which will be given to deserving officers and staff to encourage innovative solutions to problems.

4. Health insurance for pensioners: ₹10 crore will be reserved to fund the health insurance and health benefit scheme for retired employees of the BBMP including pourakarmikas. “The staff and pensioners have been requesting this facility for a long time,” Raipura stated.

5. Property tax: All self assessment declarations by all major commercial buildings will be taken up for detailed verification during 2023-24, and a target of ₹4,790 crore is expected to be collected in the year under property taxes including cesses.

6. Bengaluru to get parks, junctions, flyovers: ₹15 crore have been allocated to construct new parks, while ₹150 crore will be given to improve 75 junctions. Each ward in Bengaluru will be developed at ₹1.25 crore. ₹210 crore will be provided to construct flyovers and underpasses, while ₹50 crore will be used to maintain and develop Indira Canteen. Ten plazas will also come up in Bengaluru at the cost of another ₹50 crore, and ₹195 crore will be given to support to ongoing construction of nine new flyovers.

7. Education: Raipura proposed that basic facilities in all schools and colleges be upgraded at the cost of ₹65 crore.

8. Health: ₹32 crore has been earmarked during 2023-24 for deploying skilled medical and paramedical staff in new dialysis centres and hospitals, with ₹6 crore to purchase medical equipment and ₹3 crore to procure medicines for all hospitals within BBMP limits. Moreover, 61 new Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) will be started in 2023-24 at a cost of ₹92 crore to ensure that there are PHCs in all 243 wards of the BBMP.

9. Street dogs: BBMP has set aside ₹20 crore for anti-rabies five-in-one vaccine to address and control the menace of stray dogs in Bengaluru. BBMP aims to double the number of spaying and neutering of stray dogs in 2023-24. Two electric crematoriums will also be set up at a cost of ₹5 crores for the cremation of dogs and other animals.

10. ‘Onti-mane’ scheme: The BBMP will provide ₹5 lakh assistance each to around 2,000 beneficiaries under the scheme, for which ₹100 crore has been earmarked.

11. Free laptops and sewing machines: ₹25 crore has been allocated for providing free laptops to poor students in all categories this year, while ₹9 crore will be set aside to procure top brand sewing machines for beneficiaries from economically and socially weaker sections.

12. Developing street hawker zones: “An amount of ₹25 crore has been earmarked for the development of street hawker zones in 2023-24. So far, 67,385 street vendors have been identified under the “Prime Minister Swanidhi” scheme and 36,115 beneficiaries have already received financial assistance from banks,” Raipura said.

13. ‘Savithri Vasathi’ scheme: The scheme is proposed in Savitri Ba Phule's name to provide PG accommodation to working women. The BBMP proposed to build eight hostels, one in each of the eight zones of BBMP. The agency set aside ₹24 crores for the scheme, adding that half of the accommodation will be reserved for SC/ST women, with preference given to widows and divorced women.

14. A surplus budget: Reporting a surplus of ₹6.14 crore with revenue receipts of ₹6,376 crore and a revenue expenditure of ₹4,400 crore, Raipura said the Public Works department received the highest allocation, of ₹7103.53 crore, more than 60 per cent of the total outlay.

15. Storm Water Drains (SWD) a major focus: Storm water drains got the second highest allocation of ₹1643.72 crore with over ₹70 crore going towards maintenance and ₹15 crore towards emergency monsoon works.