How your netas have used their funds

If your representatives to the Parliament had bothered to recommend works under their MP Local Area Development Fund, they could have created permanent public assets worth Rs 59.19 crore more.

If your representatives to the Parliament had bothered to recommend works under their MP Local Area Development Fund, they could have created permanent public assets worth Rs 59.19 crore more.

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The Comptroller and Auditor General report, 2008, tabled in the state assembly on Friday has ticked off MPs as well as collectors for non-utilisation of funds and poor implementation of schemes.

The report names Rajya Sabha MPs and celebrities like Lata Mangeshwar and Pritish Nandy for not recommending any valid works and losing out on Rs 6 crore and Rs 4 crore respectively entitled to them through the Centre.

Other MPs like Rajiv Shukla, Praful Patel, Sushilkumar Shinde did not receive Rs 14.12 crore entitled to them for similar reasons.

Overall 11 MPs (randomly test checked by the audit) lost out on Rs 59.19 crore entitled to them and used only Rs 28.81 crore for public assets in the five years from 2003 to 2008.

Former Lok Sabha MP from Nagpur, Vilas Muttemwar failed to get Rs 9 crore out of Rs 10 crore entitled to him in five years.

On the whole, there was a shortfall of Rs 204.83 crore, entitled to Maharashtra MPs in the five years from 2003 to 2008.

MPs are allocated Rs 2 crore every year to help build infrastructure, public amenities within their local constituencies.

This is known as MP Local Area Development Fund (MPLAD), the implementation of this scheme is through district collectors.

The report noted: MPLADs scheme suffered from self inflicted shortage of funds due to non recommendation of works by MPs and non utilization of funds on time.

Supriya Sule, NCP MP pointed out, “Often one as a MP has to follow up how the funds are being utilised because work can get stuck due to paperwork or technicalities. Otherwise we can lose out on funds.”

For instance out of 2,865 works recommended by MPs in 2007-08, nearly 717 works were yet to start and only 228 completed.

The audit also finds similar faux pas in the MLA/MLC Local Area Development Fund. Legislators are granted Rs 1 crore every year. While MLAs managed to spend a majority of their funds, many of their works were in contrary to government norms.

For instance, MLC Srikant Joshi spent funds for organising an international conference for Marathwada University, in a five star hotel.