KOLKATA: Swanky city buses purchased under the central scheme have become a cause of worry for the ailing state transport department. Though the state government has made the payment, the department is yet to get the proportionate funds the Centre had promised to share during the purchase of these 1,300 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Release of funds has been put on hold because the state is yet to initiate some reforms in the transport sector and undertaking city-specific urban planning measures such as setting up of dedicated urban transport funds and measures to strengthen traffic management mechanism.

However this time, a Union minister has taken up the state's cause. Union minister of state for urban development, Saugata Roy, has shot off a letter to the urban development ministry over the Centre's pending share yet to be released.

Expressing dismay over the issue, Roy in his letter to Union urban development minister Kamal Nath wanted to know why the ministry did not inform him about the delay in release of the remaining Rs 76 crore out of the Rs 145.40-crore fund for West Bengal. The minister of state was amazed at the way he had been kept in the dark.

The state government has bought 1,300 buses under the JNNURM scheme for which the Centre allotted Rs 145.40 crore. The Centre has only paid the first installment Rs 68 crore to the state government and is yet to release the remaining Rs 76 crore that has been put on hold for quite some time. And all this while, the Centre kept asking for clarifications from the state government.

"It is true that the ministry did not inform me about the matter in the first place which Kamal Nath has conceded to me. The ministry had, however, sent a letter to the state government asking it to undertake some pending reform measures," Roy said.

Roy also said that there were some complaints during the Left Front government's tenure when the Centre had sanctioned the funds for JNNURM buses. "A report is being prepared stating the facts," Roy said. The Bengal government is already reeling under acute financial crisis and the delay in release of funds is adding to its woes. giving the funds to the state is only making things that much more difficult.

The minister said that last week the ministry had cleared funds worth Rs 110 crore under the JNNURM scheme for setting up the Kamalgazi flyover. Besides, there are quite a few JNNURM projects like the water supply projects at Madhyamgram and Khardah that are awaiting final clearance.

According to the proposal passed, the Centre has promised to fund a total of Rs 2,600 crore from the JNNURM funds. The state had earlier sent project proposals asking for Rs 3,200 crore.