Rs 3.5cr Swachh Bharat funds remain unutilised in Muktsar

Archit Watts

Muktsar, November 14

The funds to the tune of Rs 3.5 crore, which were allocated under the Swachh Bharat Mission in August, remained unutilised as the Muktsar Municipal Council failed to pass a resolution for the development works.

As the tenders were to be invited by November 15, only five out of 31 councillors, including the president, were present in the meeting today. However, at least 11 councillors were needed to complete the quorum.

Krishan Kumar Shammi Teria, chief, Muktsar Municipal Council, said, “We had given the copy of the meeting’s agenda to all councillors, but most of them preferred to skip it. If someone has any problem with me, he/she should not let the development works suffer.”

Yadvinder Singh Yadu, former vice-president of Muktsar Municipal Council, said, “Ten out of 17 Congress councillors have left the party as a mark of protest against the MC chief. Further, a number of councillors did not even get the agenda’s copy. The funds were allocated in August, but the meeting was called just a day ahead of the deadline.”

“Around 18 months ago, a resolution was passed for the development works to the tune Rs 1.5 crore. However, the work is yet not complete. The tenders for these works was called 14 times,” said Yadu.

Rajnish Kumar, Executive Officer, Muktsar Municipal Council, said, “We want to purchase 31 tippers, hire as many drivers and 66 helpers to collect garbage from all the wards. However, the quorum was incomplete. We were asked to complete the tendering process by November 15. We can still get some relaxation from the state government, if the councillors are willing to utilise the funds.”