A Ganjam District Planning Committee meeting held at Chhatrapur on Tuesday expressed concern over non-utilisation of the BRGF grant in the district. Finance Minister and Chairman of the committee Pradeep Kumar Amat presided over the meeting.
Kabisuryanagar MlA Sugyana Kumari Deo of ruling BJD reportedly expressed her deep anguish saying the BRGF grant received remains unspent over years and there is no one to monitor use of the fund.
She wanted to know as to who is responsible for such lapses and what action has been initiated against the erring officials or persons responsible for the lapses. Although required BRGF grant for construction of 194 additional classrooms for Polasara block has been sanctioned, construction works of only 10 additional classrooms have been completed so far as against the target of 194, Deo pointed out.
Ganjam Collector Premchand Choudhury informed the members that against the claim of Rs 30 crore submitted in the proposal last year, only Rs 20 crore has been sanctioned by the Centre. Besides, the district has received fewer grants under the MGNRES that creates problems in undertaking development works in the State, Finance Minister Amat said.
The Collector informed that use of polythene would be completely banned soon not only in the BMC area but also in seventeen NACs in the district as after using the polythene the public use to throw it in the drains which become defunct and hazardous. For the financial year 2015-16, a draft proposal prepared for assistance of Rs 36.67 lakh under the BRGF scheme was approved at the meeting.
Out of the grant, 30 Maoist-affected panchayats would be given assistance which includes 12 panchayats under Surada Block, 11 under Bhanjanagar block, four under Jagannath Prasad, two under Dharakote and one in Sanakhemundi block.
The district financial planning draft along with the annual draft plan was also approved at the meeting. Among others, Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Kesari Arukh, Higher Education Minister Dr Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi, Zilla Parishad President Surath Chandra Pradhan, Project Director of DRDA Asish Thakere, Khallikote MlA Purna Chandra Sethi, Surada MlA Purna Chandra Swain, Aska MlA Devaraj Mohanty and Polasara MlA Srikanta Sahu were present.