[Assam] MLAs blame it on bureaucratic red tape-Unused MLALAD funds (The Sentinel, 16.10.2007)

[Buljit Buragohain]

MLAs blame it on bureaucratic red tape
Unused MLALAD funds 
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Oct 15: Most of the MLAs of the State, cutting across party lines, have today blamed it on official bottlenecks and bureaucratic red tape for the non-utilization of MLA Local Area Development funds. The State Government is contemplating on taking back the unused MLALAD funds to the State exchequer as a huge amount of money released by the Government for the development of its 126 LACs remained unused.
AGP-P president and former State Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, when contacted by The Sentinel today, said the Government releases the funds very late leading to non-utilization a huge chunk of them. “An MLA naturally wants to develop his or her constituency, but it is the system that puts hurdles,” he said.
Mahanta is against making the MLALAD funds lapsable as he thinks that such a step will hamper development at the grassroots level. He said at the time of release of the second instalments of MLALAD funds the bureaucratic red tape is always more.
Such an allegation was also levelled by AUDF general secretary and party MLA Hafiz Basir Ahmed Qasimi. He has demanded for an inquiry into the attitude of the district administration concerned, which, he said, is the execution authority of schemes submitted by an MLA. “I have submitted all the schemes of my constituency within a month of the allotment of funds made by the Government, but still little has been done towards the implementation of the schemes,” he said.
CPI(M) State unit general secretary and party MLA Uddhab Barman also blamed it on the incompetency of the district authorities in implementing the schemes submitted by the MLAs. In many cases, the district authorities express their inability in timely monitoring of schemes due to shortage of manpower. Corruption at the district level cannot be ruled out, he added. “The Government should rectify the system before going for any other measures,” he suggested. 
AGP MLA Robin Banikya thinks that technical hurdles lead to the delay in implementation of the schemes. The MLALAD funds are not that huge, but the formalities involved are very complicated, he said. He also criticized the Government for the delay in release of the funds. However, BJP Legislative Party leader Mission Ranjan Das thinks that the MLAs should be blamed for non-utilization of funds. He said it is unfortunate that several MLAs are yet to use a single paisa of the funds released for the development of their constituencies. Besides, the beneficiaries of the funds have to be educated so as to ensure good results, he added.
   
  (The Sentinel,16.10.2007)



       
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