Predecessor used up Rs 5-cr fund,new mayor asks for Rs 5 cr more,gets it

A provision of Rs 5 crore is made in every year’s budget as Mayoral Fund,which helps the incumbent take up development work anywhere in the city. The same was done in the budget estimate for financial year 2013-14,but by the time Kodre took over,the funds had been used up by Bankar.

The former mayor had proposed development work costing around Rs 6 crore,including Rs 67 lakh when she was the acting mayor,in the first six months of the current fiscal. She said: “The money is being spent in electoral panels of the corporators of all political parties. So there is nothing wrong in it.”

According to the civic administration,Bankar had proposed development work worth Rs 3.5 crore in her electoral panel

and Rs 1.5 crore in Hadapsar area while the remaining Rs 1 crore was for work in other parts of the city.

“I had urged the civic administration to make available Rs 5 crore for taking up other development work. I will not comment on the funds exhausted by the former mayor but wanted funds for me to take up projects,” said Kodre.

At the standing committee meeting on Tuesday,NCP corporators Chetan Tupe and Baburao Chandere proposed diversion of funds kept for development work in merged villages to be allotted to the mayor for taking up development work. “The diversion of funds has been done by the standing committee and Rs 5 crore has been made available to the mayor for taking up development projects,” said committee chairperson Vishal Tambe.

Bankar had resigned in August and Kodre was elected as the new mayor for the remaining months of the term.