The Hindu 02.12.2009
Minister slams civic body
Staff Correspondent
| It will be issued a show-cause notice |
Minister unhappy that funds have not been utilised
He terms it the ‘worst’ city corporation
Belgaum: The Belgaum City Corporation appears to be facing a fresh threat of being superseded.
The Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs, S. Suresh Kumar, directed the authorities concerned to issue a show-cause notice to the corporation.
Depending upon the reply of the corporation, the Government would take appropriate action, he said.
He was reviewing the progress done by corporation here on Tuesday.
The Minister, who was disappointed over the failure of the corporation to take up any development work and to utilise Rs. 100 crore sanctioned by the Government in the last budget, dubbed it the “worst” City Corporation among all the city corporations in the State. Holding the elected representatives and the officials responsible for not showing any interest in development works or preventing unauthorised constructions, he said although the Government had sanctioned Rs.100 crore last year, the corporation had not utilised the funds so far.
The action plan had been framed after considerable delay and work taken up only recently, which was in sharp contrast with many other corporations which had fully utilised funds (under Special Development plan for City Corporations) and had been demanding more.
The Belgaum civic body had not utilised even 50 per cent of its own budgetary funds.
He was stunned to learn from the corporation Commissioner S.G. Patil that there were 4,886 unauthorised constructions in the city and 491 structures built in violation of the regulations. At least 52 commercial complexes had not provided parking facilities. He was apparently irked over the attitude of the corporation officials to such problems even when they were highlighted in the media.
