The BMC grants Rs 1.6 crore to each corporator, besides the budgetary funds, totalling between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 5 crore per ward, to be spent on projects. The BMC grants Rs 1.6 crore to each corporator, besides the budgetary funds, totalling between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 5 crore per ward, to be spent on projects.

As corporators of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) failed to utilise their area development funds for the second year in a row, they have blamed the re-tendering for projects, necessitated due to implementation of the GST. With nearly 50 per cent of their funds unspent, the 227 elected representatives of the civic body have sought an extension of deadline by six months. The unspent corporator ward funds lapse at the end of the financial year (end of March).

Corporators have said that senior and assistant engineers of the ward will be held responsible if the funds lapse. The BMC grants Rs 1.6 crore to each corporator, besides the budgetary funds, totalling between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 5 crore per ward, to be spent on projects.

Leader of the Opposition in the BMC Ravi Raja of the Congress said if the funds go waste then assistant commissioners should be held responsible. Likewise, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) group leader in the BMC Rakhi Jadhav said the state government should intervene in the matter. Jadhav has managed to spend only Rs 60 lakh of her total Rs 1.6 crore fund.

“In many areas, projects are stalled due to re-tendering. We have demanded that the state government extend the time frame by six months and allow us to spend the funds,” said Raees Shaikh, Samajwadi Party corporator. Shaikh has managed to spend only Rs 2 crore of his Rs 4.5 crore funds.

Last year being an election year, the deadline to spend funds was decided as December 5. However, by the last week of November, Rs 212 crore of the Rs 363 crore remained unspent.

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