Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to present his 14th Budget on July 7 and the wish list of the stakeholders in Mysuru is long, but the expectations are low.
The usual enthusiasm associated in the run-up to the Budget is missing as the prospects of big ticket announcements are low given the exigencies of raising resources and making due allocations for the five guarantee schemes promised by the Congress.
Tourism is a major economic driver of Mysuru and generates nearly 80,000 direct and indirect jobs in and around the city and hence the stakeholders have a list of long-pending demands. ‘’We do not want any new projects to be announced, but would be satisfied if necessary allocations are made to the projects that were announced in the past such as Film City,” said C. Narayana Gowda representing the hospitality sector.
He said the only demand of the Hotel Owners’ Association is that connectivity to lesser-known places of interest be improved and basic facilities provided and the sector will sustain itself. Establishment of Dasara Authority on the lines of Karnataka Exhibition Authority is one of the long-pending demands that has not seen the light of the day and the stakeholders have no hopes of the new authority coming into being any time soon.
The rationale for the demand for such an authority stemmed from the growing realisation that the officials who are otherwise involved in serious administrative issues ranging from revenue to agriculture, rural development etc. tend to be deployed on Dasara duties for almost two months during the preparatory stage. This affects the general administration where as a dedicated body could manage the show and streamline the management with its own staff. This calls for budgetary support and though promised, has not been constituted and the hopes are low this year as well.
A section of industrialists said they are preoccupied with immediate concerns arising out of the steep hike in power tariff and hence are not unduly enthusiastic about the long-term policy issues some of which never see the light of the day.
The low expectations are a direct fallout of the resources that need to be mobilised for the five guarantee schemes implementing which will cost the government around ₹60,000 crore as per various estimates. Hence the only worry of the stakeholders is that no fresh taxes are imposed to mop up the revenue.
Suresh Kumar Jain of Mysore Industries Association said they have sought a reduction in power tax which has been raised from 6% to 9% in recent years. This has to be reduced to 3% and will provide some relief to the industrialists. A meeting was held in Bengaluru with Minister for Large and Medium Industries M.B. Patil and some relief is expected in the Budget, said Mr. Jain.
Other pending demands are from the previous decade and include completion of the Export House and notification of Mysuru Industrial Township Authority but hopes are low.
