Patna, March 28: The cash-strapped Bihar government has spent Rs 94 lakh in the month of March on repair and maintenance of houses of the state’s legislators which will be demolished in a few months, prompting the chief minister to announce an inquiry.

The money was spent by the housing and building construction department, which embarked on a month-long mission to install new wiring, laying of tiles and sundry other work on bungalows and flats of MLAs and MLCs, which will in any way be pulled down in the next two-three months to make way for duplex houses.

“I have been MLA for the last six years. Never have they installed new wiring or laid down pathways of tiles in the area,” said an MLA of the ruling NDA in the Assembly.

The extravagance at a time when the state is struggling to get central funds for development has earned the wrath of Nitish Kumar. “I will get the matter probed by the development commissioner and action will be taken against the guilty officials,” the chief minister announced in the Assembly even as the housing minister, Damodar Rawat, squirmed in his seat.

Nitish directed the development commissioner, principal secretary, PHED, and power department bosses to fix the responsibility of officials who had sanctioned the work and take legal action against them. He ordered the director-general of police to lodge an FIR against all concerned.

The issue cropped up in the House through a question raised by the BJP’s Sanjay Singh Tiger, who pointed out that the cabinet had approved construction of duplex houses for legislators and yet the housing department had undertaken massive maintenance work such as wiring, construction of pavements and beautification of the area where the houses are to be demolished. “Is it not wasteful expenditure?” he asked.

In his reply, minister Rawat said his department was undertaking basic maintenance work so that the legislators do not face any inconvenience while they are still living there. The minister conceded that Rs 94 lakh had been spent so far. Additionally, the power and public health engineering departments had incurred the cost of wiring and sinking of tubewells.

Leader of Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui said the episode was a classic example of “March loot”. “The government is not spending money and in the last month it steps up expenditure. According to government statistics, by March 16 this year its total expenditure was just 52 per cent. How do you expect it to spend the remaining amount in the next 15 days?” he said.