Why rate a fictitious budget?

The BBMP has to first of all prepare a development plan that fits into the budget. The plan should be subject to public dialogue. Last year Rs9197 crore was allocated, but how much of it was actually realised? On an average, there must have been 40% achievement, revenue, and loan among others. However, has anything changed from the BMP to the BBMP, except that the allocation has changed from Rs3,000 crore to Rs9,000 crore. The achievement of the past three years should be made public, because this is a fictitious budget.

What has been done and what is yet to be completed, must be made public. And each of the projects should be detailed out. The development plan has to be made by the public and elected representatives and not engineers. The engineers dominate the planning process. Many of the projects have been going on for years now. For instance, the signal-free corridors have been on since September 2009, but even now only the allocation has been increasing. The projects won’t start, money won’t come in. Without people’s participation, it is no use. Whatever was proposed, especially by the engineers in 2009, is being followed.  The budget is a fictitious one.

The writer is an independent researcher on urban governance.