Bhubaneswar: The municipal corporation will allot additional grants to 19 rural municipal wards in the coming fiscal for infrastructure development.

The civic body will provide an additional Rs 1 crore to six municipal wards while 13 others will get Rs 50 lakh in addition to what they get now. The money will be utilised for construction of roads, drains and parks.

Besides, the civic body's additional commissioner and engineers will look after the infrastructure need of ward Nos. 50, 52, 62 and 63 and come up with a development proposal for allotment of grants.

"We have identified 24 wards that need special attention for different deficiencies. The councillors of these wards continue to ask for additional grants to take up different works. We analysed the situation and decided to provide them with additional support for the benefit of citizens," said a senior civic official.

At present, all 67 civic wards get Rs 1.5 crore from municipal funds and an additional Rs 50 lakh under the state government's recently launched Unnati scheme. Besides, three civic wards along the proposed Bhubaneswar Town Centre District get an additional Rs 1 crore.

With the present amendment, 19 rural wards will get Rs 2.5 crore for infrastructure development, three wards along the proposed Bhuban-eswar Town Centre District will get Rs 3 crore as additional grants and the rest will continue to get Rs 2 crore.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the wards will get the grants according to their infrastructure needs. "Not every ward needs the same amount of money. There are places where we need to take up more infrastructure work, while there are few others which need minimal work," Jena said.

Residents, however, are sceptical about the decision.

"The additional funds are fine, but there is a need for error-free assessment of infrastructure before the funds are allotted. I hope that the funds will be used for the purpose it is given for," said Sampur resident Jagannath Mohapatra.