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New Delhi

NDMC budget focuses on boosting infrastructure

Staff Reporter

Electricity and roads will be given top priority for the expenditure in the coming year

All the developmental works aim to showcase Delhi as a world-class and beautiful city
Up-gradation of markets, heritage restoration and construction of public toilets high on agenda

NEW DELHI: The New Delhi Municipal Council chairman, Parimal Rai, presented the civic body’s annual budget on Thursday, recounting the achievements of the past financial year and outlining the agenda for the coming year.

For 2007-08 the civic body’s total receipts have been projected at Rs. 1,347.80 crore and the total expenditure at Rs. 1,344.69 crore, indicating an expected surplus of Rs. 3.11 crore. For the upcoming year 2008-09, the budget shows an expected expenditure of Rs.1,191.55 crore against projected receipts of Rs.1,193.06 crore in 2008-09, a surplus of Rs.1.51 crore.

According to Mr. Rai, restructuring and rescheduling of investments to take advantage of higher interest rates in the markets was the reason for the higher receipts this year.

Emphasising that the coming year’s budget focus is on infrastructure, Mr. Rai said: “The focus is on a whole range of infrastructure strengthening initiatives, be it in street-lighting, electricity, roads and sewerage and drainage issues in the NDMC areas.”

“The budget also highlights our agenda for the Commonwealth Games in 2010 which includes work on Talkatora Stadium and Shivaji Stadium as well as modern bus queue shelters, street-scaping of roads, improvement of green areas and of entry point to the NDMC areas. Emphasis will also be laid on road sign boards, all in a bid to showcase Delhi as a world-class and beautiful city,” he added.

Giving details of the expenditure to be incurred in the ensuing year under various categories, Mr. Rai said electricity would be given top priority with the lion’s share of Rs. 541.08 crore to be spent on it followed by expenditures on roads, public works projects, education, sports and social services, health and sanitation, water and administration among others.

Giving an account of the major schemes implemented this year, Mr. Rai said the major investment of Rs. 650 crore towards up-gradation of NDMC’s outdated electricity infrastructure was a quantum leap aimed at reducing the civic body’s current losses pegged at 11.5 per cent.

Acknowledging the acute water crisis in the Capital’s NDMC areas, Mr. Rai said the civic body had undertaken an ambitious project for interconnecting the various water supply sources in the NDMC areas to ensure equitable distribution of water to all areas.

Up-gradation of markets also ranked high among the chairman’s agenda. “We have already undertaken up-gradation of Janpath, Momo Market at Yashwant Place and are planning up-gradation of the Yusuf Zai and Palika Bazar markets now. Palika Bazar would soon boast escalators and a modern electronic parking guidance system,” he added.

“Coming to heritage restoration works, work in C Block of Connaught Place is already under way and as for Gole Market we are sorting out problems with the shopkeepers as we want to carry the stakeholders with us on the heritage restoration project,” he added.

There is good news in store for pedestrians using the NDMC areas as the chairman announced plans for construction of foot-over bridges and underpasses in the coming year.

As for health initiatives undertaken by the civic body, the chairperson informed that a total of 91 public toilets had been constructed south of Rajpath and another 113 would be built north of Rajpath by next year. He also said that a door-to-door garbage removal system based on segregated waste concept would be launched soon wherein two dustbins would be provided to each household through tie-ups with non-government organisations.

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