Swarnim Yojana: Junagadh residents approach HC over fund allocation

Under Swarnim Yojana,Junagadh,Bhavnagar and Jamnagar were to be allocated Rs 50 crore each for laying an underground drainage line. But the petitioners have said that Junagadh has been allotted only Rs 25 crore while Bhavnagar and Jamnagar have been allotted Rs 100 crore each.

In their petition through lawyer Anshin Desai,they said Junagadh is the only Municipal Corporation in the state where the BJP is not in power. This could be one of the reasons behind this discriminatory treatment to defame the Congress-led body at the corporation.

The Congress,which is in Opposition in the Assembly,is ruling the Junagadh Municipal Corporation with the support of the Bahujan Samaj Party and an Independent,after winning the elections in 2009.

Originally,the mayor,deputy mayor and 27 other elected counsellors of the Junagadh Municipal Corporation were also named petitioners along with nine other residents of the city. But during the hearing of the petition last month,names of the elected members were deleted by the petitioner lawyer after getting permission of the court.

A Division Bench of HC comprising Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhyaya and Justice Akil Kureshi have now issued notices to the respondent state authorities. The court also directed the state government to file an affidavit and state the principle on which the amount has been allocated in favour of the other municipal corporations.

Further hearing on the PIL has been slated for June 23.