Zirakpur MC slammed for failing to spend 58% funds
MOHALI: In a scathing audit report, the accountant general (AG) Punjab slammed the Zirakpur municipal council for failing to utilise ₹64 crore during 2019-20 and just spending 42% of its earnings as its total receipt was around ₹110 crore.
Blocked sewerage pipes, damaged roads and non-functioning streetlights are some of the basic amenities missing in Zirakpur
“The Urban Local Body (ULB’S) collection was of ₹96 crore, on account of income (including VAT/GST of ₹17 crore received from the Punjab government), out of which only ₹49 crore (including non-committed development works) were spent on development works. The rest remained unspent,” the AG noted
The report added that in these circumstances, the purpose of ULBS to provide basic amenities to residents had been forfeited, despite taxes being collected from them. The MC had also failed to utilise the taxpayer’s money, deprived the poor of benefits and did not build community toilets, the report read.
NO EWS FLAT OR PLOT ALLOTTED
Though the civic body approved 50 building plans for group housing projects and licenses to colonies in the past two years, not even a single EWS flat/ plot had been allotted to EWS category, the report said. This happened, it added, even as the civic body collected ₹13 crore for approval of building plans.
The MC authorities failed to collect ₹6 crore including arrears of past three years for water supply and sewerage charges. It also failed to recover Rs 5 crore as annual and installation charges of 102 mobile towers from 12 mobile companies till March 2019.
When contacted, MC executive officer Sandeep Tewari said, “I joined office two months back and these issues are old issues, but I will try to streamline them and make sure proper basic amenities are provided to the residents,” he said.
AUDIT FINDS THAT CIVIC BODY SPENT JUST 42% OF ITS TOTAL EARNINGS OF ₹110 CR IN 2O19-20
COMMUNITY TOILETS NOT BUILT
Though the Zirakpur civic body received ₹8 lakh for the construction of community toilets/public toilets within the city under the Swachh Bharat Mission (U) in March 2018, no work was done, according to the AG’S audit. The civic body also collected ₹15 crore as compounding/regularisation charges by regularising unauthorised plots/buildings and unauthorised colonies but it had not deposited ₹75.2 lakh (5%) under the social infrastructure fund meant to create better planning, the report added.