Mayor hits back at Congress leaders over funds issue

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 29

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath hit back at Congress leaders claiming that their allegations were a bundle of lies. He said nobody ever informed him that funds to the tune of Rs 16 crore were lying with the Deputy Commissioner and they could use it for development works.

While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Balwant Rai Nath said they had been crying for the past one year, asking the state government to release funds so that they could carry out development works in the city.

He said, “Congress leaders claim that we have never demanded any funds, but we can show on record the letters I have written to the Chief Minister and Finance minister seeking allocation of funds. However, none replied to any of my letters.”

Nath said in the past 10 years, the SAD-BJP government undertook development works in all 50 wards of the city without any biased approach.

He claimed that in his three-year tenure, more works had been undertaken in the wards represented by Congress councillors than the wards of SAD-BJP councillors.

Despite this, Congress leaders are making baseless and false allegations against him for not conducting development works in their wards, he added.

The Mayor, showing the letters written to the Chief Minister and Finance Minister, said Rs 16 crore grant was issued to the Bathinda Improvement Trust for carrying out development works in the city, which was wrong as the fund should have been issued to the MCB.

Earlier during the SAD-BJP government, the MCB was given grant of Rs 90 crore under the Union Government scheme of urban mission, of which Rs 73 crore was spent on laying new roads.

However, due to the code of conduct, Rs 17 crore was left which the Union Government released to the MCB after the election. However, the Finance Minister called back the fund and gave it to BIT, the Mayor said.

He added that a few days ago, they even staged a protest, but instead of giving the share of the MCB, the Congress leaders levelled allegations against him of deliberately stalling development works.

Two days ago, Congress leader and Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s brother-in-law Jaijeet Singh Jauhal (Jojo) lashed out at Mayor Balwant Rai Nath for ‘deliberately’ delaying development works and wrongly accusing the Congress government of not releasing funds.