Vellore Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar presenting the 2025-2026 Budget at the council meeting on Wednesday
Ten Amma canteens will soon get a new lease of life as Vellore Corporation will restore the facility with additional amenities in the coming financial year.
Restoration of Amma canteens in the town was one of the major initiatives that was highlighted in the 2025-26 budget, which was presented by Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar at the council meeting held here on Wednesday. “Many Amma canteens require complete overhaul as the plastering of the walls in these canteens has peeled off over the years. This is the first makeover of the facility since it was established in 2015-16,” Mayor said.
Following the nod from councillors, the Corporation will prepare an estimate as part of the restoration of Amma canteens in the town. After getting adequate funds from the State government, restoration of the canteens will be taken up in the coming months, Ms. Sujatha said.
Another major work was setting up eco parks within civic body limits. At present, the Corporation maintains 96 parks, including children’s parks in the town. Of this, as per plan, four parks will be taken up to convert them into eco-park. “In other words, each zone of the civic body will have one eco-park. A budget outlay of ₹2 crore has been earmarked for it,” P. Janaki Raveendran, Corporation Commissioner, told The Hindu.
The eco-parks will feature footpaths and parking, landscaping work, an open-air theatre, gazebos, and toilet blocks in one-acre area. The parks will not use concrete and have percolation tiles to absorb excess rainwater. It will help to recharge groundwater in its vicinity.
Being an arid region, the Corporation will rejuvenate three irrigation tanks – Otteri, Velavadi and Palavansathu at a cost of ₹94 crore in 2025-26. Each tank, on an average, has a total capacity of 19MLD (millions of liters per day). Built by the British, the tanks help to irrigate at least 1,200 hectares of farmland. Water is also pumped by local bodies for domestic consumption.
To address stray dogs menace, the Corporation plans mass sterilisation and vaccination programme for 6,000 stray dogs in the first phase as per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules 2001.. A sum of ₹1,650 will be spent on each stray dog for the purpose. As per study, the Corporation has identified around 42,000 stray dogs within its limits.
The Corporation also plans to install CCTV cameras in its 103 schools in the town. Each school, on an average, will get at least two cameras, depending on its total area.
Of the Corporation’s estimated expenditure of ₹867.50 crore, ₹333 crore will be spent on water supply and drainage and ₹950.13 crore on education. The total estimated revenue is Rs 869.08 crore. A surplus of ₹1.58 crore.
Published – March 12, 2025 11:44 pm IST
