Pledging to spend Rs 3.6 crore on improving the civic amenities in the city, the corporation has sought proposals from the councillors for schemes to be undertaken in their respective wards.

“Work worth Rs 5 lakh each will be carried out in all the 72 wards of the corporation. The Patna Municipal Corporation’s (PMC’s) standing committee cleared the proposal put forth by mayor Afzal Imam and commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pal,” said a senior civic officer.

Imam said letters had been sent to all the councillors asking them to identify and prepare a list of projects they wanted to undertake in their wards. “They have been asked to prepare estimates at the earliest. Funds will be allocated as soon as all the estimates are received,” Imam added.

The move of granting funds for civic projects within two months of the PMC elections came as a pleasant surprise for the councillors, used to delay in funds disbursement. Expressing pleasure over the proposal, the councillors felt it was time to work for the residents who reposed faith in them.

“People elect us with a lot of expectations and we need co-operation from the PMC authorities. In my ward, sanitation is a big problem and it will be my top priority when I prepare my estimate,” said Taruna Rai, who represents ward number 65.

Abhilasha Devi, who was elected from ward number 47, said she has been meeting residents to identify the problem areas.

“Work related to sanitation, drainage, road repair and streetlights are urgently required in my area. I am meeting senior residents of my area to prioritise things as the budget is very tight,” she said.

She said her priority was to ensure families, which were not included in the below poverty line list earlier owing to irregularities, got enlisted as soon as possible.

According to sources, councillors do not get any fixed war development funds. The money is allocated according to the availability of funds with the PMC.

In the last tenure between 2007 and 2012, each of the 72 councillors received funds in instalments of Rs 3.5 lakh, Rs 5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh. Councillors had to struggle to get the money released because the executive officers had delayed allocation because of funds crunch.

The mayor said this year the PMC’s financial condition was better, as the revenue had increased in the 2011-12 fiscal.

“Poor collection of taxes is largely responsible for poor allocation of funds for civic services. In the financial year 2011-12, the collection of holding tax was nearly 90 per cent and the corporation earned around Rs 60 crore. It will help us execute some civic projects. But we still need to increase our revenue collection to provide better facilities to residents,” Imam said.