BBMP presents Rs 10,688.63 crore budget

Bengaluru: The BBMP on Monday presented Rs 10,688.63 crore budget, which is higher than Rs 10,129.48 crore it earmarked last year. While only 57 percent of the projects proposed in the previous budget have been implemented, opposition party members claimed that there are no new schemes in the 2019-20 financial document, and it was just old wine in new bottle.

Standing Committee for Taxation and Finance Chairperson Hemalatha Gopalaiah presented the budget and this is the first time that a woman corporator has presented the budget after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike was formed. Earlier, when the civic body was still 'Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike', Ms Lalitha Srinivas had presented the budget in 2005. Though this year's budget books were printed in pink, there was not much on offer for women.

BJP corporators, wearing black bands on their arms, shouted slogans, calling the budget bogus, even as it was being presented.

BBMP opposition leader Padmanabha Reddy said that the Palike does not even have Rs 5,000 crore, including the state government grants, but is still presenting a highly inflated budget of over Rs 10,000 crore.

"Where is the Congress-JD(S) coalition taking the civic body to? They don't have the resources to run the civic body," he criticised.

When BJP leaders asked BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad as to why he was not stopping the presentation of an inflated budget, he said that he does not have such powers and all decisions on budget allocation are taken by the standing committee on taxation and finance.  Last year, Mr Prasad had shot off a letter to the state government, demanding steps to improve financial discipline.