Amid severe allegations of mismanagement of funds, the civic administration on Thursday cut the annual corporators’ development fund by Rs 100 crore. As a result, the chairman of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) standing committee (SC) of the Shiv Sena has held the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responsible for civic administration's decision to cut the funds.
Last week, senior BJP corporator and group leader of the party in the BMC had written to the municipal chief accusing SC chairman Yashwant Jadhav of misusing the funds. Mishra had also written to the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) demanding an audit in the finances.
Following this, the civic chief had frozen the corporators’ fund. However, it was later lifted earlier this week.
"Due to the pandemic outbreak last year, a number of projects got stalled which the corporators were supposed to take up this year and the cut in budget will cause hindrance to a number of developmental works," Jadhav told FPJ.
Jadhav stated he along with other group leaders had tabled the proposal for allotting Rs 975 crore for the corporator's developmental works but the administration cleared only Rs 675 crore citing financial constraints.
"Last year the SC had allotted Rs 173 crore to BJP as part of developmental funds but till date their corporators have not been able to show their expenses clearly," Jadhav added.
The standing committee chairman also stated, henceforth the funds will be allocated through the SC based on requirements and transparency on the funds will be maintained.
Meanwhile, the BJP in BMC has welcomed the administration's decision of cutting the funds.
"Corporators already have a quota of funds for carrying out developmental works like repairing and construction in their wards, many people often get the funds sanctioned in the name of unplanned projects and misuse the public money, this needs to stop now," Mishra told FPJ.