Mayor G. Ramakrishnan handing over the budget copy to former Mayor P.M. Saravanan in Tirunelveli on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN

The Corporation has proposed to implement a project on an outlay of ₹55.72 crore to check the pollution of the Tamirabharani as the river crosses the limits of the urban civic body.

Tabling the Budget for 2025 – 2026 in the council meeting held here on Wednesday, Mayor G. Ramakrishnan said the Corporation, after implementing the first phase of the underground drainage scheme in the urban civic body to protect the Tamirabharani from being polluted, was executing the second and the third phases of this work.

To take this noble cause to the next level, ₹ 55.72 crore would be obtained from the government as grant for implementing special schemes to completely check the pollution of the perennial river as the river crosses Tirunelveli city.

The roads damaged in the underground drainage for about 237 km would be re-laid at the cost of ₹ 130 crore and ₹ 93.44 crore would be earmarked for establishing a sewage treatment plant with 58 million litres a day capacity at Ramaiyanpatti garbage yard.

Similar to the MLA and MP constituent development fund, the Tirunelveli Corporation has proposed to allocate ₹ 10 lakh per year to each councillor for creating essential infrastructure in their wards. If needed, this amount would be increased to ₹ 25 lakh, Mr. Ramakrishnan said.

As part of the Corporation’s green and clean energy programme, the urban civic body would earmark ₹1.50 crore for maintaining the existing solar panels producing 4 MW electricity and fitting the solar panels in more Corporation buildings to cut down its power bill substantially. The Corporation would also allocate ₹50 lakh for creating gyms in the parks and renovate the parks on an outlay of ₹2 crore. Modern bus shelters, each costing about ₹20 lakh would be created at 40 spots with the contribution of private partners.

The Corporation would procure vehicles to impound the stray cattle at the cost of ₹60 lakh and create a crematorium in each zone at the cost of ₹1.50 crore for cremating the carcass of the pets and other animals. A model animal birth control centre with isolation and in-patient ward would be created at the cost of ₹ 4 crore. For cleaning the Corporation’s sanitary complexes and the toilets in the schools, the Corporation would procure front-loader lorries at the cost of ₹1.50 crore.

The Corporation schools registering cent per cent pass in the board examinations would be given the incentive of ₹ 3 lakh each and ₹ 30 lakh would be allocated for identifying and training young talents from Corporation schools in chess, skating and badminton. A sum of ₹45 lakh would be earmarked for purchasing walkie-talkies for the use of Corporation personnel and ₹ 25 lakh for drone survey of vacant corporation lands and updating the details online. Another ₹ 50 lakh would be spent for fencing the Corporation lands.

A mobile tax collection centre would be purchased at the cost of ₹ 25 lakh to make easier of the payment of taxes payable to the Corproation.

The old main pipes carrying drinking water from the overhead tanks would be replaced at the cost of ₹33 crore and ₹5 crore would be spent for constructing new overhead tanks in the extension areas of the Corporation to make the drinking water distribution effective, the mayor said.

As Mr. Ramakrishnan released the Budget in the council, former Mayor P.M. Saravanan and a few other councillors received it. The council paid homage to 3-time MLA V. Karuppasamy Pandian who passed away on Wednesday.