The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Budget based on loans, says Opposition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Budget based on loans, says Opposition

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MARCH 28. While the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) authorities claim that the budget for 2005-2006 is "pro-poor," members of the Opposition parties have termed it a "bogus" budget that is dependent on loans from several organisations.

In separate press conferences, the Opposition leaders criticised the ruling party, the Congress, and said the budget was prepared "keeping elections in mind."

The Opposition leader in the BMP Council, B.R. Nanjundappa, referred to a Kannada proverb, "Sala maadi oole tandaru, oole mari baddi kattidaru" (taking a loan to purchase jewellery and selling the jewellery to pay the interest).

Cess collection

He said the Rs. 1,569-crore budget is not clear about the receipts. "It does not say how infrastructure cess and solid waste management cess will be collected and the alternatives for the pay-and-park scheme," he added.

He said the allocations for infrastructure projects are not adequate even to pay consultants.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader in the BMP Council, B. M. Mangala, said the budget is "completely based on loans." Not much money has been allotted for road widening, she said. Some constituencies have been discriminated against in the allocation of special grants for MLAs, she alleged.

She said it is the first time that the authorities have failed to circulate estimates among members prior to the budget presentation.

Earlier, the members stalled the budget presentation for 15 minutes.

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