*Poor utilization leads to withholding of Rs 41 cr
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 14: Though the 15th Lok Sabha is on the verge of completing its term but the Members of Parliament (MPs) from Jammu and Kashmir have failed to utilize Rs 34.77 crore under MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) resulting into with-holding of funds amounting to Rs 41.50 crore by the Union Government. Moreover, 576 works started under the MPLADS scheme spilled over beyond the mandatory period of 18 months and due to this expenditure of Rs 4.19 crore has become unfruitful.
Had there been no poor utilization and non-release of funds, J&K people would have not been deprived of the developmental works worth Rs 76.27 crore. This amount is equivalent or more than the District Plan of several districts of the State.
Taking serious note of Principal Accountant General (Audit) observations in this regard, Planning and Development Department has sought requisite reply to the observations from the Nodal District Development Commissioners of Jammu, Kathua, Doda, Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama and Leh for taking further necessary action.
According to the Audit Paragraph of Principal Accountant General (Audit), J&K, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR, an amount of Rs 15401.40 lakh was released under MPLAD Scheme for utilization by Ghulam Nabi Azad (RS), Dr Mehboob Beigh (LS), G M Rattanpuri (RS), Dr Farooq Abdullah (LS), Sharif-ud-Din Shariq (LS), Saif-ud-Din Soz (RS), Mohd Shafi Uri (RS), Chowdhury Lal Singh (LS), Ghulam Hassan Khan (LS) and Madan Lal Sharma (LS).
However, except Saif-ud-Din Soz, all other MPs could spend Rs 12183.74 lakh thereby rendering Rs 3476.65 lakh (Rs 34.77 crore) unspent. Due to poor utilization of the released funds, the Government of India withheld further release of total Rs 4150 lakh (Rs 41.50 crore) as such the J&K failed to get benefit of cumulative Rs 76.26 crore. In case of Prof Soz, there is neither unspent amount nor withholding of further release.
The data said that against an amount of Rs 689.29 lakh released by the Government of India under MPLAD Scheme in favour of Ghulam Nabi Azad, an amount of Rs 217.03 lakh remained unspent as a result of which further release of Rs 1250 lakh was withheld by the Government of India.
Similarly, against Rs 1432.60 lakh released in respect of Dr Mehboob Beg, Rs 219.05 lakh remained unspent and further release of Rs 500 lakh was blocked by the Union Government while as Rs 155.27 lakh against released amount of Rs 1210.60 lakh remained unspent resulting into withholding of further release of Rs 750 lakh in respect of Dr G M Rattanpuri.
Against Rs 1527 lakh released under MPLAD scheme in respect of Dr Farooq Abdullah, an amount of Rs 452.70 lakh remained unspent resulting into blocking of further release of Rs 500 lakh. In case of Sharief-ud-Din Shariq, an amount of Rs 250 lakh was withheld by the Government of India as against release of Rs 1765.35 lakh an amount of Rs 321.66 lakh remained unspent.
As far as Mohd Shafi Uri is concerned, against released amount of Rs 1695.33 lakh, an amount of Rs 530.62 lakh remained unspent resulting into withholding of further release of Rs 250 lakh. Similarly, out of Rs 1705.08 lakh released in favour of Ghulam Hassan Khan under MPLAD Scheme, an amount of Rs 383.77 lakh remained unspent resulting into blocking of Rs 500 lakh.
In case of Chowdhury Lal Singh, Rs 707.69 lakh remained unspent against release of Rs 1760.22 lakh as a result of which further release of Rs 150 lakh was blocked by the Government of India. Though an amount of Rs 488.86 lakh remained unspent in case of Madan Lal Sharma yet there was no withholding of funds in his case.
According to the data, out of the 4229 sanctioned works only 3753 works were completed and 576 works remained in complete as on October 2013. These 576 works spilled over beyond mandatory period of 18 months resulting into unfruitful expenditure of Rs 419.256 lakh.
Out of 576 incomplete works, 9 falls in the constituency of Ghulam Nabi Azad, 38 in the segment of Dr Mehboob Beg, 58 G M Rattanpuri, 18 Farooq Abdullah, 73 Sharief-ud-Din Shariq, 120 Saif-ud-Din Soz, 84 Mohd Shafi Uri, 69 Choudhary Lal Singh, 91 Ghulam Hassan Khan and 16 Madan Lal Sharma.
It is pertinent to mention here that MPLAD is a plan scheme fully funded by Government of India. The objective of the scheme is to enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt needs to be taken up in their constituencies.
Right from inception of the scheme on December 23, 1993, durable assets of national priorities vis-à-vis drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation and roads etc are being created. At the time of its inception, an amount of Rs 5 lakh per MP was allotted which became Rs one crore per annum from 1994-95 per MP constituency. This was stepped up to Rs 2 crore from 1998-99 and further enhanced to Rs 5 crore per MP per financial year after 2011-12.
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