Cut in budget to affect temporary works

Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 31

The high power committee for the Ardh Kumbh fair, beginning January 2016, has curtailed the proposed budget from Rs 240 crore to Rs 130 crore for the temporary works.

Mela in-charge SA Murugesan reviewed the proposals for temporary works and directed to slash the budget to Rs 130 crore.

All government departments and nodal agencies have been asked to reassess their previous proposals, which will be adjusted by the Ardh Kumbh Mela administration to Rs 130 crore.

After assessing preparations and government department proposals done for the Nashik-Triyambakeshwar Kumbh, Murugesan will analyse and draft the revised proposals of all departments concerned with the high power committee.

Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Ardh Kumbh Purushottam Sharma said had the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government sanctioned the Ardh Kumbh budget, the state government would not had to slash the budget for the fair related works.

“Already the state government is short of financial resources and the Centre has been biased towards us. We had appealed to all five BJP Members of Parliament from Uttarakhand to press for allocation of the Ardh Kumbh budget, but BJP is playing politics, deliberately delaying the grant. The state government has allocated Rs 250 crore from its resources and work on permanent nature of projects is going on,” said Sharma.

Majority of temporary works are related with setting up of the Ardh Kumbh town, tents, makeshift camps for akhadas, saints, police personnel, administrative officials, temporary hospitals, medical centers, police stations, toilets for pilgrims, temporary railings, bridges, connecting paths, signages, streetlight poles, water facility, spraying of insecticide, decoration ,sanitation, cultural-pandals, temporary bus stations and parking lots.

Haridwar BJP Member of Parliament Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said there was no deliberate delay by the Central government on releasing the funds. He said it was a normal practice that the Centre released the funds just three to four months prior to the Ardh Kumbh.

“For the kumbh budget, a timely well prepared proposal is needed to be send by the state government. The Congress-led Uttarakhand government delayed in submitting the requisite proposal to the Centre and now is falsely blaming the Union government. First, the state government should fund the projects own its own but instead it’s cutting down the proposals, which indicates the callous approach of the Congress government towards the Ardh Kumbh fair,” said Nishank.