Raipur: Mayor Meenal Chaubey presented Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) annual budget with estimated income and expenditure of Rs 1529.5328 crore in RMC building on Friday. It is her first ever budget as Mayor.
The budget mainly focussed on women empowerment, construction of trade tower, Hi-Tech library construction of women hostel and rest rooms integrated with essential facilities and additional features such as availability of sanitary vending machines and baby feeding rooms. Play zones for children and libraries for youth.
To enhance security the Mayor made provision of installation of CCTVs in public places for women's safety. There is a provision of Rs 20 lakh for this. Street vendors will get training in digital transactions. Divyang parks will be built for the disabled at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
Budget also speaks up for the construction of an electronic market, crystal arcade commercial hub and trade tower.
While interacting with the media Meenal said that the previous mayor had presented a budget of about Rs 2000 crores, out of which only 850 crores were spent. Our budget is based on reality and it is a real budget, she insisted.
Meanwhile, countering the views of the sitting Mayor, Leader of Opposition Sandeep Sahu criticized the budget and its provisions in strong words and said, it is a hopeless budget.
The budget lacks improvement of basic amenities and facilities. No provision for building integrated cow sheds for cow protection, which is the flagship agenda of the BJP government as well as the party. Not enough funds were sanctioned for the active mosquito control and its eradication. It is a failed and hopeless budget, Sahu commented.
