The Times of India 27.07.2012
State government rolls out another sop for urban poor societies
VADODARA: With assembly elections round the corner, it is the season to roll out goodies for the people. In a follow up to the scheme to provide infrastructure like roads, streetlights and water to residential areas of the urban poor with 10 per cent contribution from the residents, the state government has directed that even this contribution can be made from the local area development (LAD) grant of MLAs.
The state government had issued a circular in April this year that works in such backward localities that have come up on land freed under Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act or housing board projects can be carried out with 70 per cent contribution from the state government, 20 per cent from Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and 10 per cent from the residents of the area.
However, parliamentary secretary and Raopura BJP MLA Yogesh Patel had made representations to the state government demanding that instead of taking 10 per cent from the residents of such localities, the contribution should be allowed from MLA's development grants. Patel had proposed to take up such work in the city before this, but was unable to do so as there was no provision for such contributions.
Patel said at times the residents were not able to make the contribution and in such cases, the purpose of the scheme would be defeated. "Now, they can get the facility without paying any contribution," Patel said.
With the scheme, the BJP will not only make inroads into the lower middle class and poor localities, but also counter a problem that the Congress had posed locally in Vadodara. The Congress was conducting agitations demanding that registration of properties that have come up on ULC Act should be allowed. While this is a difficult task under the present rules, the facilities should pacify the residents for now.