Mangaluru: With the city reeling under acute water shortage every year, the Mangaluru City Corporation has worked out a plan, which if implemented efficiently will save the city from water woes.its budget presented on Tuesday, the MCC talks of making rainwater harvesting compulsory for all the buildings having above 100 sqmt area. The MCC has set aside a reserve of Rs 1 cr for harvesting rainwater in the main buildings of the corporation.

A Rs 231.37 crore surplus budget that Mangaluru City Corporation adopted for 2017-18, talks of taking steps to educate people on judicious use of water during this summer as well.

The MCC also has plans of going paperless from April 1 onwards and in this direction, the MCC is aiming at rolling out 19 online services from the day it goes paperless. The computerisation of MCC in underway at an estimated cost of Rs 1.50 cr.

The Rs 231.37 crore surplus budget, entails receipts of Rs 909.76 crore and expenditure of Rs 678.40 crore. Receipts include an opening balance of Rs 285.80 crore and deficit of Rs 22.57 crore on public or extraordinary account on the expenditure side. Receipts include Rs 310.70 crore from revenue account (Rs 86.97 crore surplus) and Rs 313.26 crore from capital accounts head (Rs 118.83 crore deficit).

The MCC aims to earn Rs 49 crore by way of property tax and Rs 13.50 crore through solid waste management cess during 2017-18. The other major head of receipts is Rs 50 crore from water tax and Rs 3.98 crore from underground drainage cess. With confusion over addition of solid waste management cess on trade license, the estimated receipts from this head is Rs 2.70 crore as against the Rs 3.25 crore during 2016-17.