Budget session likely to be held in Belgaum.

BANGALORE: With legislative assembly hall under renovation, the budget session is likely to be held in Belgaum. Chief minister Jagadish Shettar has already started his budget preparations and scheduled February 7 or 8 to present the budget. For this he held pre-budget meeting with various departments on Wednesday.

Delay in completion of works in assembly hall is said to be the reason for the government to think of holding budget session in the newly constructed Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) in Belgaum. The winter session was held in SVS between December 5 to 13. The public works department (PWD) has taken up renovation of assembly hall and its lounge at a cost of Rs 16.8 crore.

Renovation includes repair of the wooden floor, replacing seat cushions, painting, installation of new sound system and some minor civil works. While electrical works are estimated to cost Rs 11.3 crore, civil works are estimated to be worth Rs 5.5 crore.

While the electrical work has started from December first week, civil works, which was to start simultaneously, has hit block with the contract approach the court.

Both civil and electrical works was scheduled to complete before February 15, 2013. Efforts are on to sort out the legal problem and start the works at the earliest. Due to this, the chances of the assembly hall getting ready to hold budget session looks bleak.


Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com