In four years, the Trinamool Congress Government has achieved much more than what any of the previous government could in comparable periods of time.
The Left Front Government, during its last financial year, 2010-11, spent Rs 866 crore. The new Trinamool Government during its first financial year, 2011-12, hiked the amount by 30.25% to Rs 1128 crore.
This amount has continuously increased over the past four years, to Rs 1690 crore in 2014-15 (an increase by 82% over the last year of the Left Front), to make a total spend of Rs 5559 crore over the first four years for the Trinamool Government.
Compare this to Rs 3327 crore, the amount spent by the Left Front Government over its last four years, an increase by almost 70%. This amount has been further increased in the 2015-16 Budget to Rs 1895 crore.
It is quite apparent that the Trinamool Government has continuously spent much more for urban development in the State.
Municipal development – Trinamool is way ahead
Similarly comparing the last four years of the Left Front to the first four of the Trinamool, the comparable amounts are Rs 3204 crore and Rs 4908 crore, an increase by more than 53%.
The budget for municipal development in 2015-16 has kept at Rs 2466 crore, which more than 130% that of the Left Front’s last year in power (2010-11).
Among other things, the Trinamool Government has spent the money on drinking water projects, housing for the urban poor, urban beautification, sewerage system and social development funds.
Completed projects of the Trinamool Government
A. Projects completed by the Trinamool Government in its first three years only (2011-12 to 2013-14) all over West Bengal
- 16,000 housing units for the urban poor completed; 11,000 more units are on their way to completion
- Street lamps have been set up in 52 municipalities
- Professional training to 1,05,000 jobless youth
- Through e-governance plan, in 73 municipalities, computerised birth and death certificates, trade licenses, and, in some municipalities, building plans too
- State-of-the-art tannery in Tangra in Kolkata Municipal Corporation area
- Compactor stations for scientific garbage disposal in Kolkata and other places
B. Projects in 2014-15
- Nazrul Tirtha in New Town, Kolkata (Rs 45.7 crore)
- Eco Island, as a part of Phase 3 of Eco Tourism Park (Rs 6.67 crore)
- Underpasses (Rs 4.75 crore)
- Third bridge over the Bagjola Canal (Rs 6.03 crore)
- Water supply project in Baruipur municipality (Rs 14.47 crore)
- 25 million gallons per day (MGD) capacity water purification plant in Geonkhali
- Completion of Satish Samanta Haldia Trade Centre in Raichak
C. Significant projects undertaken during the last financial year to be continued in the next FY 2015-16
- Ten community markets and solar city in New Town Kolkata Development Authority area
- Granting 129 acres to Sriniketan-Santiniketan Development Authority for building a Smart Township in Bolpur
- Taking up a Rs 300.79-crore project of constructing a giant Ferris wheel for tourists at Millenium Park in Kolkata, in collaboration with a British company (for building the giant wheel) and Kolkata Port Trust
- As per a new urban development policy, exhorting real estate developers to build projects for the economically disadvantaged
- Municipal solid waste management projects in six municipalities of Hooghly district
- Municipal waste water treatment projects in Barrackpore, Uttarpara-Kotrang and Khardaha municipalities
- Fifty-bed shelters for the homeless in 10 cities
- Increasing the ambit of e-governance
