State too broke to clear development backlog

NAGPUR, APRIL 2: The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party Government has failed to release over Rs 205 crore allocated for clearing the devel...

NAGPUR, APRIL 2: The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party Government has failed to release over Rs 205 crore allocated for clearing the developmental backlog in the State8217;s backward regions, including Vidarbha, due to the acute financial crunch.

The State Government made a provision of Rs 1,100 crore in its annual budget of 1998-99 for the removal of the developmental backlog, of which Rs 455 crore was earmarked for Vidarbha region. Besides, Governor P C Alexander also sanctioned Rs 43.86 crore for Vidarbha under his special powers.8217;

However, the Government has not been able to release the entire amount due to the paucity of funds. The Government released only Rs 894.56 crore from its commitment of Rs 1,100 crore during the current financial year, which ends today.

Interestingly, a substantial portion of the funds cannot be used for development as they were released at the eleventh hour.

In a written reply to a question raised by Ravindra Mirlekar, Balasaheb Salunke both Shiv Sena and others, StateMinister for Finance, Mahadeorao Shivankar, informed the State Legislative Council in Mumbai recently that the Government was able to release Rs 894.56 crore out of its budgetary provision of Rs 1,100 crore for the removal of backlog during the current financial year.

The reply has exposed the truth behind the Government8217;s great concern8217; over the timely removal of the backlog, identified by the Dandekar Committee in the State8217;s backward regions.

It Government had assured the State Legislature during a debate in 1995 that the developmental backlog in Vidarbha would be removed by March 2000. However, developmental works of over Rs 600 crore will remain pending in the region despite the fact that another Rs 455 crore has already been proposed in the annual budget of 1999-2000 which was presented in the State Legislature last week.

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Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Madhukarrao Kimmatkar told The Indian Express that it was quot;unfortunatequot; that despite the special statutoryprovisions, the Government was not releasing funds to remove backlogs.

He insisted the Government come clean with details of the amount spent in every region so that people could know of imbalances in the State.

8220;The Sena-BJP coalition which had given an assurance to the people of Vidarbha that it would remove the entire backlog by 2000, miserably failed to keep its promises and betrayed the trust reposed in it by its people8221;, he alleged, and reiterated that there was no alternative to a separate Vidarbha state for the region8217;s development.

The annual 1998-99 budget, which made a provision of Rs 1,100 crore for the removal of backlog, proposed Rs 292 crore for Marathwada and Rs 353 crore for the rest of Maharashtra, besides Rs 455 crore for Vidarbha.