Bhubaneswar: There is all possibilities that the state government would cease to get central grants under the Swachh Bharat Mission, thanks to the apathetic nature of urban local bodies in submitting the utilisation certificates for funds allotted to them under the scheme.

Taking serious concern of this apathetic attitude, the housing and urban development department has taken a tough stand on the civic bodies and directed them to furnish all pending utilisation certificates by the end of this month, else face action. The civic bodies' performance was revealed during a review meeting earlier this month.

"It is painful to notice that only a couple of urban local bodies have furnished the utilisation certificates against the central assistance released under the mission in the 2016-17 fiscal. No sincere efforts have been made by most of the urban local bodies in doing the same," the department informed the civic bodies.

The urban local bodies receive grants under the mission to carry out various activities such as awareness campaigns, issuing of work order for construction of individual household latrines and procurement of waste bins among others.

Sources said the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is one among the defaulting urban local bodies of the state that had failed to submit the utilisation certificates under the scheme so far. "There is a growth in clearing the application for individual household latrines. But still, the civic body has failed to submit the report," said a department official.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the officials concerned had been put on the work for generating the utilisation certificates for the scheme. "We have utilised the funds properly. But, it seems that the records have not been maintained properly. We have issued strict orders to the officials to come over this and furnish the utilisation certificates to the government as early as possible," said Jena.

Besides, the department has also taken a note of this idle nature of the civic body and warned them of stopping even basic grants such as salary of officials. "It is a matter of concern, and we have decided to take strong action against it," said the official.