Roads, environment, waterlogging, mosquito control get priority in Dhaka South budget

Dhaka South City Corporation, in its budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year, has given priority to the maintenance and development of roads and traffic infrastructures, reducing waterlogging, and mosquito control.

Besides, Dhaka South has increased allocations in waste management, special development projects marked for mayor and unexpected development expenditures, and others.

City Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh announced a Tk6,751.56 crore budget for the ongoing fiscal year at Nagar Bhaban on Monday. At that time, he also approved Tk1997.75 crore revised budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year.   

The corporation could implement only 29.63% of the Tk6,741.28-crore proposed budget for the last fiscal.

When asked about the unspent major portion of the budget, Mayor Taposh told The Business Standard "We have implemented our self-funded projects accordingly. However, the implementation rate for foreign-aided and government-funded projects has been notably low due to inefficient disbursement."

In the new budget, Dhaka South allocated Tk424.05 crore for the maintenance and development of roads and traffic infrastructures of the city, which was 108% more than the revised budget of the previous fiscal.  The city corporation spent Tk80 crore for stopping waterlogging last fiscal and it estimates Tk90 crore in the sector for the ongoing fiscal year.

Mayor Taposh said, "We marked 136 places for construction and development of infrastructures in the last three years, involving Tk225 crore with our own funding for reducing waterlogging. Of them, we constructed and developed infrastructures in 103 places, the work for infrastructure construction and development is going on in the remaining places."  

Dhaka South allocated Tk46.75 crore on mosquito control in this fiscal year, about 0.69% of its total budget. 

In the new budget, Tk30.02 crore has been allocated for waste management, Tk50 crore for road construction in 18 new wards, Tk100 crore for special development projects designated for the mayor, and Tk20 crore for unexpected development expenses.

Additionally, Tk16 crore has been earmarked for the construction of a secondary transfer station (STS) for waste, and Tk6.50 crore for the automated application and system sector.

Tk46.75 cr earmarked for mosquito control

Dhaka South has elevated its allocation for mosquito control in its budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, amid the alarming rise of dengue deaths and hospitalisation in the capital city.

For mosquito control, Dhaka South allocated Tk46.75 crore, which is 0.69% of the total budget.  The city corporation spent Tk31.10 crore for mosquito control in the last fiscal.

Out of the Tk46.75 crore in the new fiscal year's mosquito control budget, Dhaka South will spend Tk38.5 crore on the purchase of mosquito repellents, Tk3.75 crore on transportation of fogger wheel machines, and Tk4.75 crore on the purchase of mosquito control equipment.

Mayor Taposh said "The spread of mosquitoes, especially Aedes mosquitoes, is one of the obstacles for Dhaka residents. In the last three years, we procured 375 fogger machines for control adulticides, 400 hand-operated machines for larvicide control, and 25 wheeled machines for Culex mosquito control, accelerating mosquito control activities."

Record revenue income in FY23

 In the fiscal year of 2022-23, the revenue of the city corporation was Tk954.96 crore, which is the highest income in Dhaka South's history.

The revenue came mainly from holding, cleaning, and lighting taxes Tk347.23 crore while Tk23.60 crore from cattle haat, Tk64.83 crore from road cutting fees, Tk77.07 crore from trade licence, Tk143.16 crore property transfer tax and Tk33.61 crore from Bazar Salami.   

In the new budget, Dhaka South has set a revenue target of Tk1,396.85 crore mainly from holding, cleaning, and lighting taxes, Bazar Salami, trade licence, and property transfer tax.   Besides, a Tk4,523.82 crore revenue target has been set for government-aided, foreign-funded projects.