MLAs eye Improvement Trust funds to take credit for development works

LUDHIANA: After prevailing upon the Punjab government to put off elections for the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation under the garb of delay in fresh delimitation of wards, which is still to be finalised, the Congress legislators in the city are now resorting to extracting funds from the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) for certain development works in their respective Assembly segments to show something in the name of performance to the people.

Office of the Improvement Trust in Ludhiana. Tribune photo

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 4

After prevailing upon the Punjab government to put off elections for the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation under the garb of delay in fresh delimitation of wards, which is still to be finalised, the Congress legislators in the city are now resorting to extracting funds from the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) for certain development works in their respective Assembly segments to show something in the name of performance to the people.

The four Congress legislators from the city are in a piquant situation after the announcement of civic elections because the state government had stayed all the ongoing development works and frozen the flow of funds citing audit of works in progress or already completed.

With the Municipal Corporation (MC) starved of funds and development of urban infrastructure in the city coming to a complete halt, the MLAs have nothing to show to the electorate when it comes to performance.

In a desperate bid to wriggle out from a tight spot, the legislators are said to have built pressure on the government to direct the LIT to provide funds for development works in their respective Assembly segments under Section 169-A of the Punjab Town Improvement Act, which provides for funding works in the city areas other than colonies developed by the Trust.

Highly placed sources in the Local Government Department said the process of getting projects approved under Section 169-A was hurriedly carried out. The LIT was directed to take over execution of development works on priority basis so that the credit for these could be taken by the ruling party legislators in the MC elections and gain majority in next General House, added the sources.

According to LIT officials, tenders had already been floated for development works of more than Rs 1.78 crore in the Ludhiana West and Ludhiana East Assembly constituencies, represented by Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sanjay Talwar, respectively.

Development works to be executed in first phase include providing gym equipment in various parks in the area falling in the Ludhiana West at cost of Rs 95 lakh and in the area falling under the Ludhiana East at a cost of Rs 49.60 lakh. Provision of LED lights in various parks located in Maharishi Valmiki Nagar, falling in the Ludhiana West, at a cost of Rs 33.52 crore has also been included in the first phase.

Meanwhile, a few other projects, including installation of garbage compactors at five different locations at a cost of Rs 1 crore, have been put on hold for the time being as the LIT has expressed its inability to execute the work due to paucity of funds.

Fund crunch

The four Congress legislators from the city are in a piquant situation after the announcement of elections for the Municipal Corporation because the state government has stayed all the ongoing development projects and frozen the flow of funds citing audit of works in progress or already completed.