KMC faces difficulties to carry on beautification
Kolkata: The recent central rules barring civic bodies from using MPLAD funds for renovation or beautification of waterbodies have posed difficulties for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to carry on undertaking such works.
A rejuvenation work for a large pond under the Green City project at the confluence of ward 92 and 104 in the city has been stalled because of this restriction.
It may be mentioned that Trinamool Congress MP Jogen Chowdhury has recently allocated Rs 60 lakh from his MPLAD funds for renovation of the pond located near Sahid Nagar Bank Plot area.
"We had planned to take up renovation of the pond with priority. But the central directive prevented us from doing so. These funds have been diverted to the civil department of the Roads section under the KMC for road repair and similar activities," said Swapan Samaddar, Member Mayor-in-Council (Environment).
He added that the proposal seeking funds from the state government for renovating this pond has been forwarded. "We are hopeful that as this waterbody comes under the Green City project, we will get the requisite funds soon," Samadder said. It may be mentioned that the KMC has taken up the renovation of as many as 37 waterbodies in the city under the Jal Dharo Jal Bharo project.
Work for renovation of some of these ponds have already started, while the tender for the remaining ones has already been floated. Under the Green City project, 159 waterbodies in the state will be renovated with a budget of around Rs 45 crore in 5 years. The KMC has started encouraging people, particularly the local unemployed youth to take up fish farming in the ponds that they have already renovated. "Our aim is to rope in the local unemployed youth to take up fish farming in these ponds. We hope that this will help us to bring down the tendency to fill up waterbodies for commercial purposes. It will also help in increasing fish production and supply to the local markets will also keep the price in check," Samaddar said. It may be mentioned that Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, a few days back at a KMC programme, had expressed his concerns over integration of MPLAD funds in various projects with the Centre directing that MPLAD funds cannot be utilised through clubs or similar organisations even in welfare projects.
