Even as the opposition councilors raised a hue and cry over the deficit factor of the budget for the year 2016-2017, the civic body has given smart city plans predominance in the Rs.76.87 crore deficit budget presented by Mayor P.Rajkumar here on Friday.

Starting from lake rejuvenation, cleaning water bodie, creating biodiversity parks, introducing Tablabs and seeing up electronic library to revive Vellalore dump yard, the budget seems to be largely focused on making the city ready for its smart city transformation.

Corporation officials had earlier said that rejuvenation of lakes would be one of the major aspects in the smart city project that the corporation had proposed to the Central government.

Thus the council has proposed plans for a total of Rs.1570 crores of which most of the plans are for rejuvenation of lakes, creating bi cycle lanes alongside lakes, water recreation activities and setting up sewage recycling units.

While Valankulam tank is proposed to get Rs.300 lakhs for creating a bicycle lane, Singanallur tank will get water sports and sewage treatment plant.

The corporation had also planned to set up five Tablabs in one Higher Secondary School in each zone at a cost of Rs.50 lakhs along with e-libraries in five higher secondary schools selectively in each zone at a cost of Rs.75 lakhs each. Solar panels in 17 government offices is also proposed at a cost of Rs.100 lakhs and setting up of biodiversity parks is to cost Rs.200 lakhs in Vellolore.

The budget also proposed development projects around the Vellalore dump yard with the inclusion of a bridge across Noyyal River at a cost of 290 crores. Vermicomposting projects, planting of saplings around the dump yard were also included in the project.

A bridge across the Sanganur canal has also been proposed at a cost of Rs.10 lakhs. Water management grabbed a good share of the budget with as many as Rs.700 lakhs for various development projects in water distribution.

Interestingly, the corporation has also proposed to give tablets to each councilor and also wifi connection to journalists when they are covering council meetings.

However, the budget did not go well with DMK councilors as they claimed that projects are being tendered to a particular company repeatedly. Nine opposition councillors were later suspended for the next three council meetings for having engaged in creating a ruckus and causing damage to the Corporation property while the budget was being presented.