Kozhikode Corpn. Budget passed with additional allocations

The council of the Kozhikode Corporation on Monday (March 2) unanimously approved its Budget for 2026-2027 with a fresh allocation of ₹10 lakh for development works across all 76 divisions.

The decision follows a heated two-day council debate and marks a significant investment in local infrastructure. With this additional funding, the 26 merged divisions earlier will now receive a total of ₹70 lakh each, while the 50 established wards are set to receive ₹65 lakh for the financial year. This capital is specifically earmarked for the construction and essential maintenance of the city’s road network.

Mayor O. Sadasivan chaired the Budget session. Deputy Mayor and chairperson of the Finance Committee S. Jayasree had presented a surplus Budget of ₹161.18 crore on Saturday (February 28). The Corporation expects a total income of ₹1,221 crore against an estimated expenditure of ₹1,060 crore.

The discussions on the proposals were held on that day and continued on Monday as well. While the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) pushed for an even higher allocation of ₹25 lakh per division, the deputy mayor clarified that statutory regulations require the Corporation to maintain a minimum balance within its surplus.

Beyond infrastructure development and welfare schemes, the Budget also outlined several key social welfare projects that included disability support. As such, a new dedicated centre will be established for the care and protection of children with disabilities.

Besides, a comprehensive survey of non-resident citizens within the civic body limits will be conducted to better understand and serve the diaspora. In a move to bolster local revenue, any division that achieves a 90% tax collection rate will be rewarded with an additional ₹5 lakh development bonus, Ms. Jayasree said.

The council session was also not without political sparring. While 74 councillors participated in the debate, the discussion frequently drifted from local governance to State and national politics.

The ruling Left Democratic Front members hailed the Budget as all-encompassing, focussing their rhetoric on the successes of the State government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

At the same time, the UDF councillors criticised the ruling CPI(M) administration’s pace of progress, drawing unfavourable comparisons to the development seen during the tenures of former Chief Ministers Oommen Chandy and K. Karunakaran. The BJP councillors also criticised the Budget proposals during the discussions.