MCD lapses in MP area scheme utilisation

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 6.

Due to inefficiency, gross irregularities and insensitivity of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the real benefit of the ambitious Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme hardly reaches the Delhiites.

As high as 44 per cent of the allocation made to the civic body under this Scheme is not being utilised. Even among the rest the actual utilisation is much lower. In violation of the Scheme guidelines, over 40 per cent of the utilised fund is used mainly repair work. What is more, assets acquired remain non-functional.

Lashing out at the MCD, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, in its latest report, said points and anomalies prevalent in the civic body raised by it in the last report had not been addressed to. Consequently, the MCD continues to have the same irregularities and deficiencies.

According to the report, during the three years period between 1997-2000, the Union Government released Rs. 61.31 crores for the implementation of various schemes recommended by the area MP. Of these only Rs. 34.04 crores were spent. ``The heavy shortfall in utilisation of the Central assistance was mainly attributed to delay in execution of works,'' it said. Even actual spending must be much lower.

It charged the amounts spend by the executing agencies did not correspond to the physical progress of the work. ``In one executing agency test checked by Audit such unspent balances amounted to Rs. 1.16 crore.''

Asserting that the benefit of the scheme never reached those sections for which it was meant, the CAG alleged this has been due to ``idling of funds, diversion of funds towards inadmissible works, non-completion of works and poor monitoring and reporting mechanism.''

The CAG found that a large number of works recommended by area MPs were not completed. Out of 2,278 works sanctioned for the execution during these three years, only 1,371 were completed. Surprisingly, no reason for this was provided.

The civic body has also been found grossly violating norms of the Local Area Development Scheme. As per the guidelines, only individual works of developmental nature based on locally felt needs that can lead to the creation of durable assets for public

use and costing up to Rs. 10 lakhs per work can be taken through the Government agencies.

``In contravention of these guidelines, which forbids repair works, as many as 606 repair works in three constituencies pertaining to roads, lanes, footpaths and drain were executed at an expenditure of Rs. 14.26 crores,'' the report stated.

The CAG found that Rs 32.35 lakhs were released for purchase of 48 computers and 24 printers in six school, but as many as 16 computers and eight printers were found lying idle in four schools.

In another gross violation of guidelines the CAG found no asset register being maintained by MCD.

The report said that in 1997 the Municipal Commissioner had directed the Deputy Municipal Commissioners of Zones to inspect at least 10 per cent of these schemes per year. ``However, no separate documentary evidences regarding the inspection were maintained.''

Again as per the guidelines, Heads of District were required to communicate information on progress of works under the scheme on to the Department of Programme Implementation of the Union Government. ``No such system, however, existed in Delhi,'' the report said.

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