Various projects of Surat Municipal Corporation are dependent on grants from the state and central government. As there was no new source of income, the municipality made a frugal budget and instructed the officials to be frugal. But like various programs today, Surat Municipality is going to spend 1.70 crores for the program of water storage scheme with virtual presence of the Prime Minister. For this, a proposal has also been approved as additional work in the Standing Committee of Surat Municipality. 1.70 crore for the virtual presence of the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister were to be present in person, it is difficult to imagine how much this program would have cost the municipality.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the ‘Jalsanchay Janbhagidari Yojana’ through virtual medium in Surat tomorrow. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Hydropower Minister CR Patil will be present in the program at the Indoor Stadium in Surat. However, even if the program is to be held in the indoor stadium of the municipality, the cost of the two to three hour program will cross Rs 1.70 crore. Even though the program is held in the indoor stadium of the Surat Municipality, the cost of 60 lakhs will be for the mandap, stage. While 60 lakhs will also be spent on operations related to branding, advertisement, exhibition, movie, parking. Apart from this, 30 lakhs will be spent for the work related to the electricity department. While the cost of 20 lakhs for food arrangements will be 1.70 crores. If there was no indoor stadium and there was a public program, it is difficult to estimate how much this cost would have been. In addition, the municipality is going to spend 1.70 crores for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a virtual presence for 45 minutes, but if the Prime Minister himself attends the program in Surat. Even if it were, it becomes difficult to imagine how much this cost will be. It is estimated that approximately 7 thousand people will join this program in the whole of South Gujarat. The Standing Committee has approved the proposed expenditure of 1.70 crores by the municipality for this program and due to this several discussions have also started.
