MUMBAI: The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government has instructed the smaller civic corporations (excluding those like Mumbai, Thane and Pune), municipal councils, zilla parishads and gram panchayats in the state to stay all infrastructure and pilgrimage development works where funds between Rs 2 crore and Rs 25 crore have been sanctioned. In case work orders have been issued, the stay would not be applicable, the government has said, but the list of all such work orders must reach the new government by Friday evening.

Further, the Shiv Sena-NCP -Congress government has warned that action will be taken against officials who have approved works other than those allowed on the state’s list.

Various local self-governing bodies undertake construction of small/connecting roads, borewells, social welfare centres and other infrastructure works on the basis of recommendations that are made by the local legislator.

State saving funds to finance farm loan waiver?

Infrastructure works at pilgrimage sites and those undertaken as part of the state’s special programme for development of travel destinations also fall in this category.

Once a request for funds is put in, it is the state’s urban and rural development departments that allocate and release funds through the local civic bodies, zilla parishads or panchayats. For major district roads and state highways or bridges along the highways, it is the public works department that is normally approached.

While NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik alleged that only recommendations from BJP MLAs were considered for such approvals during the Fadnavis regime and those from Congress-NCP and Sena MLAs ignored, sources said the other reason for the new government staying all these works is its search for funds for the total farm loan waiver scheme it has promised. The state already has a Rs 6.7 lakh crore debt burden.

In keeping with the government’s orders, the urban and rural development departments have issued separate circulars instructing all the relevant local self-governing bodies to stay the sanctioned works. The circular has made it clear that “details and list of work orders should be sent to the concerned department by Friday evening if work orders have already been issued. Also, disciplinary action will be initiated against the officials if it is observed that they have issued work orders which are not included in the list.” Nawab Malik alleged that “there could be a few cases where no work has been carried out and bills have been cleared. Also, there may be cases where work has been sanctioned without considering the opinion of the state’s finance department.”

BJP’s Ashish Shelar, meanwhile, on Thursday accused the state government of being focused on stopping all development works and said the BJP would hold it to account.

(With inputs from Clara Lewis)