Forget development, a struggle even for salaries here

Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, December 28

The Municipal Council of Fazilka is facing the worst ever financial crisis, due to which it is struggling to pay salaries to its employees, leave alone having resources for development.

Fiscal status

According to its budget projection of Rs 1891.50 lakh for the 2014-15 financial year, the MC will spend 55 per cent of its budget (Rs 1012 lakh) on salaries of employees. It has earmarked Rs 358.75 lakh towards committed expenses, which include payment of electricity and tube well bills and to private contractors hired for sanitation in the city.

Another Rs 460 lakh has been earmarked for non-committed expenses pertaining to repair of roads, lanes, drains and upkeep of infrastructure.

The council had hoped to earn Rs 725 by selling its land. However, official sources said even as eight months had elapsed in this financial year, the council had earned only Rs 25 lakh.

Another Rs 550 lakh is expected through recovery of value added tax (VAT), Rs 220 lakh through water and sewerage bills. Besides, it expects to earn Rs 120 lakh through property and house tax, Rs 100 lakh on account of lease and rent and Rs 78 lakh on account of octroi on electricity and alcohol in this financial year.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Charandev Singh Maan said the council was yet to recover a hefty amount for the property sold earlier. In the present scenario, most of the income is exhausted in paying salaries to employees.

Infrastructure

The condition of some of the main roads and streets of the town has become pitiable as the civic body has not received any grant from the government ever since the tenure of the council ended in August 2013.

The MC has failed to set up infrastructure in MC Colony, TV Tower Colony, Dr Hedgewar Colony, Babu Hit Abhilashi Colony, Surinder Kaur Badal Colony, Shayama Parsad Mukherjee Colony and Dr Baldev Parkash Colony, carved out by the MC during the last two decades.

Health

The 50-bed district level Civil Hospital needs to be upgraded to a 100-bed hospital to cope with the increasing number of patients. A large number of posts of specialists, paramedics and class IV employees have been lying vacant. Out of the sanctioned posts of 16 specialist doctors, seven are vacant. Besides, three out of five posts of medical officer, 12 out of 30 posts of class IV employees, 11 out of 24 posts of nurse have been lying vacant.

Education

The only government college of Fazilka, which was established in 1940, has the capacity of only 2,400 students. Out of 31 sanctioned posts of lecturer, 29 have been lying vacant. Residents say the number of seats for students should be increased after providing necessary infrastructure and filling of vacant posts so that admission is not denied to border students who cannot afford education in private colleges. Out of six posts of clerk, four are vacant.

Sanitation

The administration is at loggerheads with JITF Waste Management (Ferozepur) Private Limited, which has been assigned the job to lift garbage from the town. The company has reportedly failed to provide quality service. The Additional Deputy Commissioner had served a notice to the company under Section 133 of the CrPc for “deficiency in services”. Meanwhile, the senior manager of the company, Varinder Singh Luthra, said the company was unable to realise user charges, a paltry Rs 30 per month, from a majority of the residents of the town for lifting garbage.

Drinking water

Local MLA and cabinet minister Surjit Kumar Jyani had initiated an ambitious project of providing canal-based drinking water to about one lakh people of Fazilka town during his previous tenure. The project has almost been completed at the cost of about Rs 8 crore. However, only half of the population has benefited as the authorities have failed to construct the desired number of over-head water tanks to supply potable water.

Municipal Engineer Dinesh Sharma said three more over-head tanks would be constructed in six months, which would cater to about 90 per cent of the population.

Traffic problem

The traffic problem on Gaushall Road, Sanjeev Cinema Crossing, Court Road, Old Abohar Road and Mehrian Bazaar has acquired serious dimensions. The administration has failed to persuade the managements of the eight bank branches situated on Gaushalla Road to arrange their own parking space. Besides, the proposal of constructing an under-bridge on the Court Road railway crossing is still awaiting clearance from the Railways.

Politics

During the previous tenure of the BJP-ruled Municipal Council, out of 21 wards, 14 were held by the BJP, one by the SAD and the remaining six by the Congress.

Now, the number of wards has been increased from 21 to 25. The Congress has raised objections over the boundary of wards. The main contest is likely to be between the BJP and the Congress. The SAD was offered to contest elections only in two wards in the 2008 MC elections by the BJP.