State Cabinet Minister and Minister in-charge of Dehradun district planning committee Yashpal Arya held a meeting with the district planning committee members in the capital on Saturday. The committee has approved work plan worth `69.64 crore. Besides, the committee has approved 35 per cent of total fund meant for the ongoing projects for the year 2015-16 and 25 per cent of the work plan for the financial year 2016-17.
Arya suggested a three-pronged approach to complete old projects or to start new ones for the development of the region. The department officers concerned should spend money on ongoing approved projects as per released fund, he stressed while adding that the new projects should be started as per available funds.
The department officers may put on hold the old projects to start the new ones. He said. However, the best option would be to strike a balance between the old and the new projects for the development of the region.
Stating that budget would not be constraints for district plan projects, he stressed on the district plan committee members working in perfect tandem over distribution of funds under the district plan.
Dehradun District Panchayat president Chaman Singh said that proposals had been sent to the state administration in consultation with the district plan members. He regretted that just `46 out of `69 crore had been released so far.
DM Ravinath Raman said that in the financial year 2015-16, some new projects had been started by the departments without taking approval.
The officers were directed to approve those projects which can be completed within the stipulated time.
Others present on the occasion were Cantt MlA Harbans Kapoor, Rajpur MlA Rajkumar, Mussoorie MlA Ganesh Joshi, Nagar Palika president Mussoorei Manmohan Singh Mall, chief development officer Banshidhar Tiwari, district economic and statistics officer Balwant Singh Parmar.