Kochi corporation’s new building. Image for representational purposes only.
| Photo Credit: H. Vibhu
City administrators have drawn up a wish list of projects, which they hope to see included in the State budget to be presented next month.
The State Finance Minister will present the annual budget in the State Legislative Assembly on February 5.
The list compiled by Kochi Mayor M. Anilkumar includes a proposal for a cultural complex at Kacherippady spending ₹10 crore. The civic body has sought assistance of ₹5 crore from the State government to set up the complex at the holding owned by it. The existing building shall be demolished and a modern cultural complex complete with a mini theatre, art gallery and parking facilities be developed there, the city has been proposed.
The State government had earmarked ₹30 crore for a road project in the city in the previous budget. Though the civic body had sought assistance for developing three road projects with the amount, the budget speech had mentioned that the fund would go for the development of K.P. Vallon Road alone. The original proposal of the local body was to utilise the funds for Pandit Karuppan Road, K.P. Vallon Road and Palluruthy Parallel Road together. The civic body has approached the State Finance Minister with a request to revise the proposal so that the funds could be utilised for all three roads as mentioned in the original proposal, said civic authorities.
The city administration has sought to continue the budgetary support for the Centre for Heritage Environment and Development, the research and urban planning institute of the Kochi Corporation. Last year, the State government had earmarked ₹30 lakh for the Centre.
A literary festival and an international urban planning conclave are also in the minds of the civic administrators of Kochi, which would require the support and financial assistance of the State government. The local body has once again requested the State government to take back the land that was purchased in its name at Brahmapuram and to end the deduction made to its plan fund annually. The State government had been deducting a significant amount from the annual plan funds to compensate for the payment made towards the purchase of the holding.