CHENNAI: Another budget
has been presented and new outlays made, but the corporation has not
spent what it had set apart for different kinds of civic work. According
to its own records, it has not spent 314 crore – more than 10% of the
2,922 crore budget – in 2012-13.This underlines the ad hoc preparation
of budgetary estimates and the lack of political will to execute
projects, experts say.

In every budget, the civic body
allocates a significant portion as capital expenditure for
infrastructure like roads and storm water drains as well as for
education but by the end of the year most of the money is still unspent.
The result: Roads have potholes, drains are clogged, and garbage bins overflow. More importantly, these funds lapse and cannot be carried forward to the next financial year.

Records reveal that the civic body underutilizes several crores
sanctioned for the corporation schoolchildren. Though the schools remain
ill-equipped, the education department has spent only 18% of the funds
allotted to it. It spent just 2.7 crore of the 15 crore sanctioned for
corporation schools last year. Some sources in the civic body said that
31 corporation schools were closed since 2009 due to lack of students.

The buildings department
has spent only 34.6 crore of the 82 crore it received. It is yet to
construct public toilets because of the poor response from private
firms. In July, the buildings department announced that it would
construct 5,000 modern toilets across the city. It later revised this
number to 2,000. So far, not one toilet has been built.

Close
to 10 crore has been unused in the 15 corporation zones. Despite
complaints about uncleared garbage, the solid waste management
department has let close to 20% of its funds lapse. The second highest
number of complaints the corporation receives relates to non-functioning
street lights but the electrical department has spent less than half
its allocation (44% ). However, the health department spent 2.69 crore
more than its allocation and the mechanical department overran its
budget by 10.7 crore.

A senior corporation official said,
“There is no clear strategy or plan about utilizing funds. There is
little coordination among various departments in the civic body.”
Experts blame inefficiencies while planning and preparing the budget. M G
Devasahayam, social activist and former civil servant, said, “The
priorities of the civic body are wrong. If projects are slow to take off
or complete, it shows the civic body’s inability to fully use its
finances.”