The Kochi Corporation budget for 2026-27 was approved with amendments proposed during the debate, even as the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) staged a boycott, claiming the changes reduced the surplus to a deficit.
Deputy Mayor Deepak Joy presented a budget surplus of ₹132 crore. Mayor VK Minimol said proposals to address drinking water shortage and to set up memorials for late literary critic MK Sanoo and ghazal singer Umbayi have been incorporated.
However, LDF Parliamentary Party President VA Sreejith said the opposition had decided to boycott the budget rather than support it as he believed the amendments made it deficit in violation of the Municipal Act.
To make the budget viable, the corporation would have to collect property tax worth ₹78 crore in a single month, which he called “almost impossible”. He pointed out that while the budget talk covered projects like the ₹200 crore renovation of the Pandarachira canal and two new ₹40 crore sewage treatment plants, they were missing from the budget estimates. According to him, their inclusion would put the budget in deficit. “It is a ploy to garner public support by announcing projects without allocating funds to implement them. There is no reason why we should support a deficit budget,” Mr. Sreejith said.
Ms Minimol countered that the rejuvenation of the Pandarachira canal was financed from abroad and may not be factored into the company’s estimates. According to her, it is common practice for the budget to refer to such projects. For example, the previous LDF council allocated ₹75 crore for the compressed biogas plant at Brahmapuram, even though it was funded by the BPCL-Kochi refinery.
Meanwhile, Corporation Secretary PS Shibu, in a written reply to LDF’s petition on the alleged leakage of the budget before its presentation, clarified that only the council agenda generated through the K-Smart module was shared with the councilors and the media. The municipal law, he noted, contained no provision mandating the secrecy of the budget estimate prepared by the standing finance committee, although precedent followed the practice. While the opposition claimed it confirmed its allegations, the ruling council said it only reaffirmed its position.
Published – 28 Feb 2026 01:02 IST
