AZHAK to make Kozhikode city pretty and clean

Corpn. budget focuses on hygiene, waste management, tourism

Hygiene, happiness index, change in waste management strategy, poverty alleviation, and tourism development. These are the highlights of the Kozhikode Corporation’s budget for 2022-23.

Presenting it here on Thursday, Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafar Ahammed proposed a revenue outlay of ₹918.02 crore, expenditure of ₹857.38 crore and a surplus of ₹60.64 crore. For the 2021-22 finanacial year, the revised revenue outlay was ₹624 crore and revenue expenditure was ₹533 crore, with a spill over of ₹90 crore. Mayor Beena Philip presided over the meeting.

A mass initiative for zero waste, uplifting happiness index, and attitudinal change in waste management at Kozhikode, titled AZHAK, is one of the major projects to be taken up in the coming financial year. Projects have been planned to beautify sectors such as healthcare institutions, public places, waterbodies, public institutions, houses, commercial spaces, and roads and streets. This would be part of the implementation of the hygiene protocol. A sum of ₹4 crore would be set aside for buying street sweeping machines, robotic drainage cleaners, beach cleaners, septage suckers, and road equipment; ₹3.5 crore for renovation of Take a Break centres and construction of new ones; ₹3 crore for purchasing vehicles for Haritha Karma Sena volunteers, and ₹2.35 crore for desilting drainages.

The budget proposed to convert Kozhikode into a city without extremely poor families and set aside ₹1 crore for the purpose. As many as 814 such families had been identified after a survey. Both Central and State government projects would be utilised and the help of voluntary organisations and philanthropists would be sought to improve their condition. The Corporation plans to construct houses for at least 5,000 homeless people and set aside ₹32 crore for the project. A sum of ₹1 crore was proposed for the We Lift job guarantee scheme.

The civic body plans to tap the tourism potential of Kozhikode by devising a master plan. Areas such as Tali, Kuttichira, and S.M. Street had already been developed and a heritage conservation plan would be prepared for Thiruvannur. A destination management plan would be readied for the Kozhikode beach to have round-the-clock cultural activities there. Steps would be taken to boost the night life and street vending in the city. Auto drivers in the city would be trained to be tourist guides and brand ambassadors of Kozhikode.