Budget 2012-13: Development gets top billing in Rawal Town’s budget

70% of budget allocated for development projects; no new taxes.

RAWALPINDI:

A sizable Rs815 million have been reserved for development projects in Rawal Town in 2012-13. The town’s municipal authority, Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA), announced a budget of Rs1.17 billion on Wednesday for the next fiscal year.

This is the first budget in Rawal Town’s history to cross the Rs1 billion mark, even though no new tax has been levied for 2012-13, said RTMA administrator Saif Anwar Jappa. Rs351.5 million have been set aside for non-development expenditures including the staff’s salaries and pensions, which have been raised by 20%.

Jappa said Rs31 million had been earmarked for citizen community boards to improve liaison with locals and Rs206 million have been set aside for new development schemes.

The administrator said Rs86.4 million had been fixed for development schemes announced last year which had not been initiated yet, while Rs43.1 million have been set aside for ongoing schemes. An amount of Rs5 million has been set aside for repair of streetlights and Rs4 million for maintenance of roads.

Rs9.6 million have been allocated in the budget for the welfare of youth, while Rs9 million have been earmarked for sports this year.

The administration has also set side Rs25 million for construction of a new office complex for RTMA. Jappa said new staff would be hired from July. An additional sum of Rs37 million will be spent on the construction of RTMA shops on Benazir Bhutto Road.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2012.