• R.K. Narayan’s house in Yadavagiri to be a full-fledged tourist spot
• Sky Walk near Maharani’s College on JLB Road for pedestrians

Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) 2025-26 Budget, presented this morning, highlighted several key developmental projects, including the transformation of renowned writer R.K. Narayan’s house on Vivekananda Road, Yadavagiri, into a full-fledged tourist spot, the construction of a Sky Walk near Maharani’s College on JLB Road and the expansion of the Kabini Water Purification Unit at Kembal from its current 60 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) capacity to 120 MLD.

Mysuru Division Regional Commissioner D.S. Ramesh, holding concurrent charge as the MCC Administrator, presented a budget of Rs. 1,228.72 crore at the Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Council Hall in the MCC main building.

With the MCC Council’s tenure ending in September 2023 and elections to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) still pending, the Government appointed the Regional Commissioner as the Administrator to oversee daily operations. Consequently, the budget meeting concluded without any deliberations or discussions.

Reading out the budget, Ramesh, accompanied by MCC Commissioner Shaikh Tanveer Asif and other officials, announced that MCC anticipates generating Rs. 392.29 crore from its own resources, along with Rs. 525.91 crore in Government grants, bringing the total projected revenue to Rs. 918.20 crore.

The budget expects to raise Rs. 252.60 crore from property tax alone, Rs. 98.51 crore  from water charges and Rs. 15.73 crore from other revenue streams, including land cess and road-cutting charges. Additionally, trade licences are projected to bring in Rs. 6 crore, while ground and monthly rents from commercial complexes, markets and Garuda Mall are expected to generate Rs. 3.09 crore.

The budget’s opening balance as of Mar. 1, 2025, stands at Rs. 310.51 crore. With deposits totalling Rs. 918.20 crore, the overall revenue reaches Rs. 1,228.72 crore. The proposed payments amount to Rs. 1,219.01 crore, leaving a remaining balance of Rs. 9.70 crore.

RKN’s house as tourist spot

The budget outlines several ambitious projects, including development of renowned English author R.K. Narayan’s (RKN) house in Yadavagiri into a tourist attraction. The existing museum in RKN’s house will be enhanced using CSR funds to make it more appealing to visitors.

Sky Walk

Under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, a Sky Walk will be built near Maharani’s Women’s College for Science, Arts and Commerce on JLB Road. This initiative follows the Chief Minister’s assurance during a visit to the college, aiming to ease pedestrian movement, especially for students.

While a cellar parking facility already exists at the Rangacharlu Memorial Town Hall premises, a full-fledged vehicle parking facility will be developed on D. Devaraj Urs Road to address the growing parking demands.

A long-pending plan for a public swimming pool will finally take shape at the Freedom Fighters Memorial Park near Subbarayana Kere. Though the project was announced in the previous year’s budget, it was stalled due to lack of suitable land. With the availability of space confirmed, the pool will now be constructed.

Infrastructure upgrades

Bitumen and concrete roads will be laid across city, with provisions for utility corridors to streamline maintenance of fibre cables, underground drainage (UGD) lines and electric cables.

The Kabini Water Purification Unit at Kembal has been upgraded from 60 MLD to 120 MLD capacity. The facility will be formally dedicated this year.

Under Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme, 44 bulk water flow meters will be installed to prevent seepage in drinking water network.

Waste management, citizen service initiatives

With 40 percent of the legacy solid waste at the Sewage Farm in Vidyaranyapuram already cleared, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) will be entrusted with the task of removing the remaining waste and implementing the Waste-to-Energy project.

Material recovery facilities (MRF) will be constructed at Solid Waste Management Units in Vidyaranyapuram and Rayanakere, with funds from the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, State Government  and MCC grants.

The solid waste generated in the city will be processed using modern techniques, including Windrow Turner machines, funded by the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). Rs. 11.66 crore will be spent on purchasing machinery to scientifically process construction debris.

The MCC will purchase 45 desilting machines and 25 jetting machines to enhance                           drainage maintenance.

A citywide drive will be launched to issue e-Khatas within seven days of submitting all required documents. B-Khatas will be issued for properties with registered documents dated before May 10, 2025. To enhance efficiency, revenue services will be decentralised at MCC Zonal Offices.