Utilisation of CMC funds comes under scrutiny

Poor infrastructure in the city leaves them at the receiving end

Civic problems have become a bane for the city. While one encounters pot-holed roads in one ward, an overflowing drainage welcomes you in another ward.

Garbage disposal is something unheard off with garbage bins filled to the brim. Some councillors attribute the plight to lack of funds while some find ‘other reasons.’

Pot-holed roads are attributed to underground drainage work. Some contend that the drainage was repaired recently and there were only some minor problems.

The residents who ultimately are the receiving end are now faced with a question.

“Where did the crores of rupees received in the form of grants and the money collected as tax go?” is the common question among the public.

Only discussions

“The City Municipal Council meets once every two or three months. The meeting discusses wide range of issues from Jakkalamadagu water supply project to construction of commercial complexes. The schemes, the implementation of which are uncertain consume much of a time. But no discussion is held on necessary and important issues such as road, drainage work, streetlights, garbage disposal etc,” N Suresh, a resident of Prashanthnagar rued.

When questioned on development projects, the councillors claim lack of funds. But they do not give any information on the flow of money received in the form of tax, the grants from chief minister’s funds, legislator’s and Lok Sabha member’s funds. “Why can’t the municipality spend the funds it has reserved for construction of a commercial complex for basic infrastructure such as road, drainage etc,” he questioned.

The councillors too were not clear in their replies to questions on trailing infrastructure works.

Each councillor had his or her own reason. One cited poor work on the part of contractor, another pointed to ‘transfer of funds’ to some other ward and one more blamed ‘non co-operation’ from district administration.

Wards such as Prashanthnagar, Vapasandra, Chamarajpet, Nimakallakunte, Kandawara etc suffer from acute lack of basic infrastructure facilities. The residents say that riding vehicles becomes a Herculean task during rainy season. They also express their disappointment against the elected representatives and the district administration. They hope that their problems could be mitigated even if any of them visited the wards to hear their woes.