H D Kumaraswamy
Credit: DH Photo/S K Dinesh
Hubballi: Thirteen of the 28 Lok Sabha members from Karnataka have recommended more than 60% of their Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme fund for construction of community halls and bus shelters.
Of the 2,449 works recommended by the MPs, cutting across party lines, nearly 1,130 works pertain to community hall construction at an estimated cost of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each. While all the MPs have recommended allocation of funds for construction of community halls, however, it is Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H D Kumaraswamy, former chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai (Haveri) and Jagadish Shettar (Belagavi), Ramesh Jigajinagi (Vijayapur) and P C Gaddigoudar (Bagalkot), who have recommended the highest.
More than 90% of their funds are proposed for construction of community halls.
However, on the contrary MPs below the age of 50 years, are recommending development works such as renovation of school buildings and providing them smart classrooms, furniture, digital and conventional libraries; concrete roads, drinking water plants, streetlights, borewells, among others.
Since the commencement of the 18th Lok Sabha (from May 2024), the 28 MPs from Karnataka have recommended 2,449 works worth Rs 274.40 crore, out of which so far only 12 works worth Rs 17.50 crore have been completed. Of the total recommended works, nearly 80% are still unsanctioned. The MPs have another three-and-half years term to get these works sanctioned and executed through the district administration.
There are no hard and fast rules regarding how an elected representative spends Rs five crore per year allocated for their constituency, which usually consists of seven to eight assembly constituencies.
Shimoga MP B Y Raghavendra, Mallesh Babu
(Kolar-Chikkaballapur), Brijesh Chowta (Dakshina Kannada) and Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya were the only ones who had the least amount spent on community hall and more on development works.
Raghavendra spent on construction of concrete roads, installation of high mast lights and purchase of smart boards for government schools.
BJP’s firebrand leader Tejasvi had diverse works such as drilling of borewells and installing pumpsets, purchasing books for government school libraries, installation of CCTV cameras, among others.
Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta has proposed the installation of kabaddi mats, road development and milk producers co-operative society development works. Mallesh has recommended concrete roads and installation of high mast lights in multiple villages of his constituency.
Construction of concrete roads and drainage-lines was the next preferred option for the MPs followed by recommending bus shelters and stops. Of the 282 works recommended by Kota Srinivas Poojari’s (Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP) 90% is for construction of CC roads, linking roads and public toilets in his constituency.
E Tukaram, a first-time MP from Bellary, has decided to spend more than 75% of his funds on installing digital libraries at government schools, followed by three-wheeled bikes and hearing aids for specially-abled persons.
K Sudhakar (Chikkaballapur), and Sagar Khandre (Bidar) will spend substantial funds on installing high-mast lights in rural areas of their constituency, while another first time MP Shreyas M Patel (Hassan) will spend on installing drinking water plants.
Chitradurga MP Govind Karjol has recommended construction of a mortuary freezing chamber at government hospitals in the district.