BENGALURU:It has been almost four months since the JD(S)-Congress coalition led by H D Kumaraswamy came to power, but freshly elected MLAs are yet to receive their Local Area Development fund. The BJP is now questioning the delay in releasing the `2 crore per annum fund. Legislators across party lines are waiting for the government to release MLA LAD funds for this financial year. While those in the JD(S) and Congress are willing to wait a little longer, the BJP is raising questions.
“The financial year closes on March 31 and ideally at least a sanction for the funds should have come by June. We can’t even begin an action plan, leave alone calling a tender. By the time this government releases funds, and tender for works are called, the financial year would have passed,” mocked C T Ravi of the BJP. He has appealed to the government to sanction at least in principle the `2 crore MLA LAD fund even if it is unwilling to release funds immediately.
“Post monsoon, we get a work period of barely five months starting November,” Ravi added. The BJP leader further said that the H D Kumaraswamy government is also reluctant to release funds for ongoing works under drinking water, Zilla Panchayat, PWD and minor irrigation projects.
While there is no time frame for these annual funds to be released, legislators across party lines claim that it is released within 3-4 months of the end of the financial year but this time there has been a delay.
“Yes, we are yet to receive the MLA LAD funds but it is a very small amount that doesn’t necessarily hamper development works. Those creating a hue and cry about it being delayed are unnecessarily politicising it,” said N A Harris of the Congress. The Shantinagar MLA, while defending his government over the delay, said that legislators, at least from Bengaluru, have been pushing for the funds. “While we are sure that the money will be released eventually, the amount is very small. We can do very little with `2 crore. MLAs need to be given at least `5 crore per annum,” Harris added.
In an interview with The New Indian Express, Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka assembly B S Yeddyurappa had claimed that the government’s reluctance to release MLA LAD funds, a minuscule expenditure, displayed the dearth of finances in the treasury.