Rs 100cr KMC councillor fund to return to state treasury after remaining unspent

Kolkata, July 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) West Bengal government funds worth Rs 100 crore, allocated for councillors at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), will go back to the state treasury after remaining unspent due to administrative complications, a senior government official said on Monday.

Although funds were allocated for the councillors in the state Budget, a major portion of the amount, to the tune of Rs 100 crore, could not be spent as the municipal board at the KMC was dissolved last month following the resignation of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim on June 3.

As a result, project recommendations are not being made as there are no councillors in the civic body's 144 wards.

Also, since meetings of the 16 borough committees and the Mayor's Council have not been held since the dissolution of the municipal board, engineers have been unable to process proposals for road, water supply, drainage, lighting and park repair works because of the absence of approvals under the 'councillor development' and 'maintenance' funds. It is also learnt that work on the ongoing major drinking water purification and drainage projects has come to a standstill.

Top engineers at the KMC said there is practically no possibility of spending the allocated money this year, as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections are scheduled to be held at the end of November, with the formation of a new board expected only in December.

As the funds could not be spent and in accordance with the government's financial rules, the finance department of the municipal corporation has accepted that more than Rs 100 crore from the councillor fund will go back to the state treasury.

However, Kolkata Municipal Corporation Commissioner and current Administrator Smita Pandey said, "The construction and repair work that has already been allocated for various projects in different wards will go on as usual."

In addition to improving civic services in Kolkata, the allocation of the 'councillor development' fund began in the mid-1990s for the maintenance and repair of civic assets as well as the creation of permanent assets.

BJP municipal party leader at the KMC, Meena Devi Purohit, alleged that the board would not have been dissolved had the Mayor not resigned.

"Otherwise, all the councillors could have spent the funds. Now the entire fund will go back to the government's coffers," she said.

However, Left Front municipal party leader Madhuchanda Dev expressed concern over a fresh challenge for ward-level development next year because of the situation. She said, "As money is not spent according to the rules, the allocation per ward may be less in the next financial year. Although there have been exceptional administrative complications this year, the state government will definitely think about it."

Source: IANS