Noida stops funding projects in lesser developed cities

Then CM Akhilesh Yadav on April 2, 2013, had come up with the scheme to collect funds from Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities for the purpose, but the move did not go down well with residents.

The Noida authority has decided not to contribute funds to a scheme, started by previous chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, to carry out developmental work in lesser developed cities in eastern Uttar Pradesh with funds collected from other authorities.

Authority officials have now clarified that they will no longer continue to contribute funds under this scheme as they are also facing a funds crunch. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

Then CM Akhilesh Yadav on April 2, 2013, had come up with the scheme to collect funds from Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities for the purpose, but the move did not go down well with residents.

Many social activists and opposition political parties in the district had objected to the scheme on the grounds that the civic amenities in Noida and Greater Noida were also poor. Ignoring the protests and objections, the Samajwadi Party government had collected Rs350 crore from Noida and Greater Noida authorities, officials said.

However, authority officials have now clarified that they will no longer continue to contribute funds under this scheme as they are also facing a funds crunch. “We have stopped sending funds under the scheme because we do not have a surplus,” said Manmohan Mishra, financial controller of the Noida authority.

According to the UP government’s plan in 2013, the Noida authority was supposed to contribute Rs350 crore, the Greater Noida authority, Rs100 crore, and the Yamuna Expressway authority, Rs50 crore, to the infrastructure corpus scheme.

Officials said that previous regime had also used funds collected from Noida and Greater Noida authorities on the construction of Agra-Lucknow Expressway.

As per the plan, the UP government had sought Rs500crore for development in cities falling in the eastern part of the state. The Noida and Greater Noida authorities had sent Rs350crore to the industrial development department of the state but will not send the remaining Rs150 crore.

“We have not sent funds for the financial year 2017-18 under this scheme. Also, we have not allocated any fund to be sent under this scheme,” said the financial controller.