The Barisal City Corporation (BCC) today proposed a Tk 423.22-crore budget for the 2015–16 fiscal year without imposing fresh taxes or increasing previous tax rates. The revised budget of the 2014–15 fiscal year was worth Tk 147.48 crore. The budget announced today is a Tk 276-crore deficit one. The proposed budget’s income from own sources is only Tk 108.32 crore, which would be spent on establishment costs. The remaining Tk 304 crore is expected from governmental and non-governmental allocations for implementation of development projects. BCC mayor, Ahsan Habib Kamal, after getting the approval of the councillors in the morning, announced the 14th budget of the corporation at the ‘Nagar Bhavan’ conference room in the presence of the councillors, BCC and administration officials, and journalists.
The mayor, however, conceded that the size of the budget was “insufficient” for providing all necessary facilities to the eight lakh plus residents of the city, spread over 58 sq. km.
Marking the 2015–16 fiscal year as the year of the city’s development, the mayor announced that Barisal would be a drug addiction-free child-friendly city, with healthy entertainment and amusement facilities. He also said the services of the corporation would be upgraded, providing it with the necessary manpower and funds, and a master plan.
In his budget speech, Kamal said he has proposal building an overbridge at the Court and Nathullabad areas of the city to minimise traffic snarls. Under the head of income of Tk. 108 crore from the BCC’s own resources in the new budget, there are taxes from rates and holdings, including building construction, outstanding bills, advance money and fares, government’s block allocation, trade licence fees, permanent assets transfers and taxes, lease of corporation assets and sale of tender schedules.
Development expenditure includes Tk. 83.89 crore for expansion of city streets, Tk. 24 crore for development of the extension area, Tk. 86 crore for structural development of the BCC and for its beautification, garbage management and renovation of its drainage system, Tk. 24 crore for rehabilitation of those affected by natural disasters and slum people, Tk. 150 core for constructing new terminals, Tk. 15 crore for developing entertainment, recreation facilities and beautification projects, Tk. 20 crore for health, sanitation and environment, and Tk. 22 crore for different types of infrastructural development in the city.
Barisal municipality was created in 1869, with two wards and a population of just 10,000. It was later extended to 10 wards with a population of around 1 lakh in the pre-Liberation period, covering a 20 sq. km area, which spread to 25 sq. km in the post-Liberation period.