North corpn asks govt for Rs 500 crore funds

In a letter written by Standing Committee Chairman Ram Kishan Singhal,the corporation has listed all the funds that the corporation should have received in April and demanded its immediate release.

North corporation Mayor Azad Singh on Friday met Chief Secretary D M Spolia for an “explanation” on the matter and demanded immediate release of the funds.

“We have been assured that the funds will be released by next week. Development works and sanitation work have been severely affected due to this delay,” Singh said.

According to the letter submitted to the Chief Secretary,the corporation has demanded payment of the first instalment amount to Rs 515.84 crore.

The civic agency has also sought advance payment of Rs 1,031 crore as second instalment of grant-in-aid. “We have been assured that the second instalment will be released on time,” the Mayor said.

“In fact,we have made it clear to the Delhi government that if the funds are not released,we will be forced to start an agitation from Tuesday,” Singhal said.

The North corporation also raised the issue of non-receipt of funds under plan and non-plan heads from the Delhi government.

“We should have received Rs 111 crore under non-plan head and Rs 190 crore under planned expenditure in April,” Singhal said.

Giving details of the grant-in-aid from the Delhi government,he said an amount of Rs 11.183 crore should have been provided as first instalment for educational purpose for 2013-14 while another amount of Rs 11.01 crore is due for projects in resettlement of colonies.

A separate amount of Rs 464 lakh should have been given for maintenance of school buildings and Rs 35 crore for primary education.

Singhal said the corporation was expecting another amount of Rs 8.12 crore for malaria and dengue control program and Rs 25 crore for strengthening of sanitation services.

An amount of Rs 17.50 crore is due for improving urban roads.

“If we don’t get the funds,how will we complete the development works. The payment to contractors for sanitation and door-to-door collection of garbage has suffered due to this. Also,schools are about to reopen from July 1 and we have not received funding for primary education,” he said.

Leader of the House Mahendra Nagpal also expressed displeasure over the delay.

Leader of the Opposition,Mukesh Goel,from the Congress,said no one from the ruling party had approached him

to talk things over with the Delhi government.

“We are always ready to speak up for the corporation with the government. But I have not been approached by the BJP leaders in the House on the matter,” Goel said.