The Chandigarh Administration has received Rs 4,511.91 crore from the Centre in the Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitely in Parliament.While the Administration has got Rs 199 crore more than the Budget of the current fiscal, the increase of 4.60 per cent is the lowest in the past two fiscals. The UT had got a 9.51 per cent increase in the Budget last fiscal.This year, the Administration has received Rs 505 crore under the capital head and Rs 4,006 crore under the revenue head. While the Administration had demanded Rs 5,908 crore from the Centre, it got only Rs 4,511 crore. The Administration had received Rs 4,312 crore for the financial year 2017-18. While an amount of Rs 475 crore was given under the capital head, Rs 3,837 crore was allotted under the revenue head.
Public transport in the city is likely to get a boost with the transport department being allocated Rs 252.65 crore this time. With this, Chandigarh hopes to get electric buses and other additional CTU buses.
Finance and Planning officer Jasbir Singh said that as Chandigarh has got an additional Rs 200 crore than what it got last year, major projects in the city would kick off.
Plans of several schools are also likely to be formalised with the UT being allocated Rs 827.90 crore for education which is Rs 56 crore more than that of last year. Construction of schools in Maloya village (pockets 1 and 2), Raipur Kalan, Mauli Jagran and in Industrial Area Phase-III were in the pipeline. Meanwhile, three new mini sports complexes in sectors 8, 19, and 21 and five sports complexes in sectors 34, 38, 50, 56 and Manimajra are also under way.
Similarly for health, a budget of Rs 478.92 crore was allocated which is Rs 57 crore more than that allocated last year. “The 50-bed hospital in Maloya village and the 100-bed hospital at Sector 48, which have been pending for two years now, are likely to be kicked off,” said a senior official of the finance department. The energy sector, too, received an additional Rs 76 crore than last year’s budget. An amount of Rs 943 crore has been allocated this time.
But the Municipal Corporation suffered the biggest blow as it has been allocated only Rs 269 crore against the demand for Rs 1,100 crore. However, the housing and urban development is likely to suffer as Chandigarh got a budget of Rs 826.31 crore, quite less to what it got last year. City had got Rs 1,263.51 crore under this head in the last fiscal.
