The Delhi Government has proposed one-time additional allocation of Rs 10 crore to each MlA under MlA local Area Development (MlA lAD) funds to improve conditions of roads, streetlights, construction of community halls, underpass, subway, footpath in the colonies across the city.
Top sources told The Pioneer that the Cabinet decision requires concurrent of the lieutenant-Governor following Delhi High Court ruling.
This expenditure will be one-time release of funds by the Government in the current fiscal year. This is a 250 per cent hike in MlA lAD funds for the current financial year, enhancing it to Rs 14 crore from the existing Rs 4 crore. The existing Rs 280 crore for this year under MlA fund has already been disbursed by the AAP Government.
“The Government has decided to enhance one-time MlA funds as the expenditure on plan head was less than 17 per cent till July end this year,” the sources said. “Once the new proposal is cleared by the l-G, each MlA can spend an additional amount of Rs 10 crore on other developmental activities in their respective Assembly constituency. And once projects are executed, the MlAs will have to submit the fund utilisation certificates issued by the agencies concerned to the Urban Development Department,” said the sources.
The new proposal was drafted after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a note to the Urban Development Minister on August 31 had observed that the condition of civil works in Delhi colonies was very pathetic. He had stated that the people of these colonies were looking towards elected Government for carrying out construction/maintenance works related to streets, parks, footpaths, streetlights as early as possible.
The Deputy Chief Minister has also ensured that the Finance Department can make necessary arrangement of funds and the same may be approved at revised Budget estimate by the Government. Sisodia had also observed that public needed the area MlA for carrying out different development works.
Municipal corporations have also failed to carry out such works effectively for want of adequate funds.
Currently, each of the 70 MlAs are entitled to an annual fund of Rs4 crore per year under the MlAlAD scheme to carry out developmental works. The MlA funds are being spent through newly created District Urban Development Authority (DUDA) in Delhi.
The MlA fund scheme was started in 1994-95 when the fund under the scheme was Rs 1 crore per MlA per year. The Delhi Government had revised the scheme and increased the fund to Rs 1.40 crore per MlA per year in 1999-2000.
From the financial year 2000-01 the limit of Rs 1.40 crore has been raised to Rs 1.90 crore per MlA. And from 2004-05, the limit has been further increased to Rs 2 crore in 2011-12 the limit has been further increased to Rs 4 crore.
Under this scheme of “Strengthening and Augmentation of Infrastructure facilities in each Assembly Constituency”, commonly known as MlAlAD’s each MlA can suggest small works of capital nature to be done in their constituencies up to the tune of Rs 4 crore in a year with each individual project not exceeding Rs 2 crore.