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.