Patna Municipal Corporation office. Telegraph picture

Patna, March 25: Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has sent a proposal to the state seeking Rs 25 crore for upgrading basic facilities in the areas under its control. The demand has been made even as the civic body is yet to spend Rs 15 lakh on each of the 72 wards for improving civic amenities.

PMC mayor Afzal Imam said the corporation received Rs 10.8 crore last year and admitted that each councillor has to spend Rs 15 lakh on their respective wards. “However, the divisions have not received the money yet. After this year’s budget has been forwarded to the state government, which proposes Rs 25 crore for the wards’ development, it becomes inevitable that the sum approved in last year’s budget is spent soon. I have given instructions to the administrative officials concerned to ensure the money reaches the ward corporators within the next 15 days,” he said.

Sources in the PMC said Rs 10 lakh is being provided for road laying, repair and water supply-related work, while Rs 5 lakh would be provided for sewerage work. The condition of roads in most of the wards is bad. Sanitation work has been affected because of delay in payments to the contractors. Following the financial crunch and increasing remuneration expenses, the PMC’s recent announcement of strengthening the road and sewerage work is being viewed with doubt.

However, officials at the urban development department said the government would not let any financial complication affect the projects related to development of Patna as an “upcoming hot spot in the country”.

The ward corporators, meanwhile, accused administrative officials of deliberately delaying release of funds. “The funds are not being used to provide amenities because of negligence on part of a few officials. In fact, one-third of the total development fund allotted to councillors since 2009-10, which is approximately Rs 20 crore, is lying unutilised because of delays in procedures or shortage of space to install facilities,” said a councillor from Bankipore zone of the corporation.

“Councillors cannot handle the fund directly, they can only give a letter to the corporation recommending implementation of development works. Unutilised amounts do not go unspent but are credited to the capital account of the corporation and again spent on development works,” he said.