Development projects envisioned last year cornered a major share of the allocations made in the NDMC Budget for 2016-17, which was presented before the Council by chairman Naresh Kumar on Wednesday, signifying a huge backlog of projects that are yet to take off.
Total receipts of `3,458.33 crore have been projected against a total estimated expenditure of `3,450.81 crore during the period in the Budget. Kumar, who presented his maiden Budget, said the allocation for capital expenditure has been increased by 115 per cent from `191.93 crore in revised estimates of 2015-16 to `412.47 in Budget estimates for 2016-17.
Installation of lED streetlights, automated parking facility, construction of disabled friendly public toilet units, transformation of sub-ways into vibrant spaces with ATMs, cloud-based Hospital Management Information System (HIMS) for the civic body’s health care units, health camps for employees and skill training centre are among the projects that were announced in previous Budget and have been “repackaged” for this edition.
Other old projects which have found mention in the current Budget include installation of outdoor gym equipment, rooftop solar panels on NDMC buildings, projects for increasing green cover, stainless steel bins in all major markets and roads, and setting up of air quality monitoring system to share real time information on air quality through lED screens.
Describing the NDMC’s vision to be a “global benchmark for a Capital city”, the civic body chairman enlisted the allocations of the Budget with a considerable share to the “Smart City” projects.”After selection in Stage-1 of the Smart City Mission, we have submitted the proposal to the Urban Development Ministry. If we get selected, the NDMC is expected to receive an amount of Rs 194 crore from the Government in form of tied grants as first installment, which will be matched by an equal contribution from NDMC,” Kumar said.
The ambitious project announced last year for replacement of existing electricity poles with Smart Street Poles having Wi-Fi points, smart lEDs and CCTVs for city surveillance, took a back seat after NDMC’s allocation of tender was challenged before the High Court. The same project will be undertaken this year and NDMC is in process of refloating the tender.
With a provision of `187.71 crore for education services, NDMC has announced to develop smart classrooms, provide e-learning solutions in NDMC schools and make the curriculum digitally available to facilitate teaching. The smart classroom project will also include virtual-labs, interactive white boards and digital library.
Extension of door-to-door municipal solid waste collection facility, setting up of bio-methanisation plant in Pillanji village, tri-cycles for safai sevaks and deployment of mechanised sweeping during night as well, are the initiatives announced for 2016-17 under the “Swachh NMDC” project.
The projects that will be taken up under AMRUT scheme of the Urban Development Ministry include redevelopment of existing tubewells, installation of water ATMs, commissioning of sewage treatment plant and desilting and rehabilitation of sewage lines on Shahjahan Road and Ashoka Road. Setting up of state-of-art AYUSH polyclinic, incubation centre to help entrepreneurs create start-ups and signing of twin-city agreements with international cities to facilitate cooperation and exchange of ideas, are some of the new initiatives announced in the Budget.