The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Poor utilisation of Plan funds

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Monday, Jan 21, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Poor utilisation of Plan funds

N.J. Nair

Local bodies have so far used only 20 per cent of the allocated funds

Northern districts fare well in expending funds
Nod for 80% of projects of grama panchayats

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With just two months left for the current financial year to draw to a close, local self-government institutions in the State have so far utilised only 20 per cent of the Plan funds.

Northern districts surpassed the south in expending the funds allocated by the government for taking up projects under the People’s Plan Campaign.

A sum of Rs.2,140 crore was sanctioned to the LSGIs in the first year of the Eleventh Plan.

It comprised Plan funds to the tune of Rs.1,540 crore, maintenance grant worth Rs.350 crore and general purpose grant of Rs.250 crore.

Official sources told The Hindu here on Thursday that according to a review of the expenditure till January 10, northern districts fared well than the south in making use of the funds. The grama panchayats in Kozhikode district expended 28 per cent, Wayanad 27.2, Kannur 26.34 and Kasaragod 26.19.

The overall expenditure of Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts was less than 15 per cent. The panchayats in Kollam registered 24.87 per cent and Thiruvananthapuram 18.78 per cent.

The average expenditure of municipalities was 22 per cent. Malappuram topped the list with 63 per cent and Koothuparamba 55.16 per cent. Pathanamthitta municipality had the lowest utilisation rate of 9.6 per cent.

Among the five corporations, Kollam has the highest expenditure rate of 19.13 per cent and Kochi the lowest of 11 per cent. Thrissur corporation spent 15.16 per cent , Kozhikode 14.33 and Thiruvananthapuram 14.82.

Since the initial impediments in preparing and implementing the projects have been cleared, about 80 per cent of the funds can be expended within the next two months.

Each panchayat had eight to 10 implementing officers and various projects that got technical clearance could be taken up simultaneously. About 80 per cent of the projects submitted by the grama panchayats had been cleared by the Technical Advisory Groups and were ready for execution, sources said.

Fluctuations in the prices of bitumen, steel and cement affected road and civil works. Bitumen price had shot up from Rs.14,000 per tonne to Rs.27,000. Civil works too were moving at a snail’s pace owing to the increase in cement and steel prices.

In order to expedite civil works, the government had granted permission to the civic chiefs to procure cement and steel at market rate, sources said.

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