Housing, employment generation and waste management received maximum impetus in the 2023-24 Kollam Corporation budget that was presented by Deputy Mayor Kollam Madhu here on Saturday.
It envisages a surplus of ₹88.71 crore with a revenue of ₹1,187.15 crore and expenditure of ₹1,098.44 crore. The budget earmarks ₹6 crore for construction of a flat complex for 300 families, ₹10 crore for land acquisition, ₹1.5 crore for the housing of 200 landless families and ₹30 crore for constructing houses for 1,500 families under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Kollam Corporation will be providing houses for around 2,000 families under various schemes including LIFE in the financial year.
While Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (AUEGS) gets ₹25 crore, ₹14 crore has been allocated for setting up a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Kureepuzha and ₹5 crore goes into strengthening sanitation works. Jeevananu Ashtamudi Jeevikkanam Ashtamudi’, a project to protect Ashtamudi Ramsar site and restore its biodiversity, gets an allocation of ₹10 crore. The budget also sets aside ₹25 crore for making the lake a water sports hub and ₹75 lakh will be used for the beautification of all quays coming in Corporation limit. Dredging, floating garden and musical fountain will be part of the project. While ₹5 crore goes to the health sector, ₹3.6 crore has been earmarked for the rejuvenation of ponds in various divisions. The budget also includes allocations for the rehabilitation of street vendors, eradication of extreme poverty, drinking water projects and agriculture.