Kozhikode Corporation presents ₹1,178-crore Budget

Kozhikode Corporation's annual budget focuses on new projects, health, welfare, and the city's UNESCO City of Literature status.

A slew of new project announcements, health and welfare have taken the centre stage in the Kozhikode Corporation’s annual Budget for the financial year 2024-25 presented by Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafar Ahamed, also the Finance Standing Committee Chairman, on Wednesday. The Corporation expects a revenue of ₹1,238.69 crore during the year while the expected expenditure is ₹1,178.29 crore with a surplus of ₹ 60.40 crore.

A diamond jubilee building to house the new office of the Corporation, including the council hall, is the major project among the new announcements made at the council. An amount of ₹1 crore has been earmarked for the project’s preparatory work. Food streets on Kaloor Road, Bhatt Road and Customs Road besides Beypore and Kozhikode beach, a flyover to ease the congestion on Oyitty Road, happiness parks at crematoriums and burial grounds, a new head office for Kudumbasree in the city, a new mofussil bus stand building and an industrial park at Elathur are the other projects.

Several projects are in the pipeline for the attainment of elderly-friendly status for Kozhikode city. These include 25 new Pakalveedu (day-care homes), a geriatric care centre in association with beach hospital, a geriatric home nurse training centre, legal aid clinics for the elderly, free treatment and medicines at home and a Pakalveedu-centred vocational training programme for the elderly. A Vayojana Bhavan is also coming up.

The health and hygiene sector has also been given due consideration through projects like a new dialysis centre, mobile medical lab to help bedridden patients, a budget pharmacy at beach, a multi-specialty medical lab at Idiyangara, a health complex at West Hill, and a project to offer emergency help for bedridden people. All newborns from BPL families born in hospitals will now get a welcome kit from the Corporation.

There are definite plans to strengthen the Haritha Karma Sena and to purchase modern machinery for waste management. The launch of the Student Green Cadets programme on the lines of the Student Police Cadet programme is a new development in the direction of sustainable development. A dog park to rehabilitate street dogs is another novel scheme.

Allocations have been made for the Corporation’s dream projects such as the renovation of the Central Market, shifting of the Fruit and Vegetable Market to Kalluthakadavu and the renovation of the Tagore Centenary Hall.

Rejoicing over the city’s new-found status as the UNESCO’s City of Literature, several projects have been charted to take the legacy forward.