Poll panel to decide on projects worth Rs 80 cr

A day after the election code of conduct came into effect, the civic standing committee on Wednesday cleared 34 expenditure proposals worth Rs 80 crore. These proposals will now be scrutinised by the state election commission (SEC), which will give the final nod.

A day after the election code of conduct came into effect, the civic standing committee on Wednesday cleared 34 expenditure proposals worth Rs 80 crore. These proposals will now be scrutinised by the state election commission (SEC), which will give the final nod.

Until the SEC clears these proposals, the civic administration cannot go ahead with the work. The Rs 80-crore proposals include the repair of roads in five wards, appointing a third-party auditor, consultancy firm SGS, for roads, among others. (see box for details). Rahul Shewale, civic standing committee chairman, said: “Going by the SEC’s instructions, we have cleared proposals related to routine repairs and maintenance.”

In the past two months, the saffron alliance has been on an overdrive, clearing proposals worth more than Rs 3,500 crore, before the code of conduct set in.

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The Shiv Sena-BJP combine, which runs the BMC, had expected the code to come into effect on Wednesday evening, and the standing committee meeting had been scheduled on Wednesday morning. However, it was imposed on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the media was not allowed to cover the standing committee proceedings because of miscommunication. Later, Shewale said: “The media will be allowed in the next meeting.”