MLAs feel the pinch of CDP fund freeze

Face public ire over pre-poll vows

Almost all MLAs are facing questions from voters while touring their respective constituencies as they have defaulted on their pre-poll promises of taking up civil works because the state government has frozen Constituency Development Programme (CDP) yet again citing Covid-19 compulsions.

They are unable to carry out even small works due to nonreceipt of funds from the government. Many legislators opine that they could not even undertake works related to PHCs, health centres, drainage, culverts and road repairs, much to the dismay of the locals.

Although there was a budgetary allocation of

`3 crore each in

2019–20, the government withheld release of CDP citing lack of funds, which was strongly resented by MLAs and MLCs. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao assured that funds to the tune of `5 crore would be released in the 2020-21 budget but did not do so because of the pandemic. Revenue generation also took a beating because of the lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister instructed the finance department at a recent review meeting to stop or reduce all unnecessary expenses. MLAs expect that the CDP funds would not be sanctioned even this time.

Some MLAs say that with CDP funds, they could have set up isolation centres in places where Covid cases are high, or for purchasing medical kits and essential commodities.

The situation is such that now they are looking up to donors in the form of businessmen, NRIs and NGOs, so that they could bring some relief to the people during the critical juncture.