Seeking funds for unauthorized works viewed seriously
Says focus should be on easing sufferings of public
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 6: Taking serious note of the demands for release of funds for unauthorized works, the Government has directed the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to stick to the approved works programme and avoid creating liabilities. Moreover, they have been explicitly told to lay focus on easing sufferings of the general public instead of causing more hardships.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that a stream of demands and representations for arrangement of funds are being forwarded by the Urban Local Bodies (Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Municipal Committees) to Housing and Urban Development Department directly or through Directorates of Urban Local Bodies Kashmir/Jammu for authorization/release of funds/clearance of liabilities on account of works not authorized by the department.
Stating that all this reflects bad financial management at the level of the Directorates of Urban Local Bodies, sources said, “authorization for execution of the works can be given only when the expenditure to be incurred for such nature of works are budgeted under Capex Budget, Finance Commission Award, Devolution Grants and other internal resources”, adding “any authorization conveyed beyond the budgeted provisions creates un-warranted liability, which becomes difficulty for the department to square off”.
They further said, “though there are huge funds available with the Urban Local Bodies for implementation of different nature of works/schemes under different budget provisions yet they are forwarding these demands to the Housing and Urban Development Department, which otherwise can easily be addressed at their own level”.
According to the sources, the Housing and Urban Development Department doesn’t have any untied funds which can be allocated on demand. “Whatever funds are received for various schemes either under Capex Budget, Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Flagship Programmes, Devolution Grants and Finance Commission are being regularly released to all the implementing agencies”, they added.
“The tossing of demands/representations without prioritization to the Administrative Department by the implementing agencies has been viewed seriously by the higher authorities as it causes more hardships to the general public rather than easing their sufferings”, sources said.
Taking serious note of unwarranted demands for release of funds, the Government has directed the Urban Local Bodies that the works recommended by the public representatives should be properly estimated, need and genuineness ascertained and then projected to the Housing and Urban Development Department for authorization.
“Only after authorization, these works be taken up for execution and for this purpose the Urban Local Bodies should constitute a committee which will assess the genuineness and accordingly formulate Action Plans for incorporating such demands within the available funds under Capex Budget, Finance Commission Award, Devolution Grants and other internal resources”, sources said quoting the directives of the Government.
However, in case of urgent priority or where the funds are not available, the proposals can be submitted to the Administrative Department for consideration with cogent reasons.
The Government has made it clear to the Urban Local Bodies that any work/scheme executed beyond the scope of approved works programme should not be entertained and stern disciplinary action will be taken against the concerned officer(s) for creating any liability on account of unauthorized works.
“All the Urban Local Bodies have been explicitly told to adhere to the approved work programme and not to take up any work beyond the scope of the approved Action Plan unless specifically authorized by the Housing and Urban Development Department”, sources said.
Even they have been warned against forwarding all the public demands to the department without prioritization for which funds are available with the implementing agencies under budget provisions, sources further said.
It is pertinent to mention here that recently Administrative Council headed by Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu upgraded 13 Municipal Committees as the Municipal Councils and even ordered transfer of engineering wings of the Urban Local Bodies Directorates to the Municipal Corporations of Jammu and Srinagar.
“While Government is leaving no stone unturned to empower the Urban Local Bodies it becomes imperative on their part to ensure that unwarranted financial liability is not created”, sources stressed.
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