CM fails to spend half of MLA's fund

[karira]

As reported by G Babu Jayakumar in expressbuz.com on 08 November 2008:
CM fails to spend half of MLAs fund

CM fails to spend half of MLA's fund

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has not utilised half of the MLA Constituency Development Fund for any developmental work in Chepauk, which he represents in the State Assembly. Some AIADMK MLAs have fared even worse, with D Jayakumar of Royapuram using just 13 per cent, Badhar Sayeed of Triplicane 30 per cent and S Ve Sekhar of Mylapore 41 per cent.

Information obtained from the Chennai Corporation on the utilisation of funds by Chennai MLAs - there are 15, including a nominated one - under the RTI Act reveals that but for two MLAs, none of them have used up the amount of Rs 3 crore that was allotted to each of them over the past two-and-a-half years.

The funds are allocated under the Members of the Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme (MLACDS), which was introduced in 1997- 98 with a meager amount of Rs 25 lakh per MLA per year. By and by, the amount was scaled up and now it is Rs 1.2 crore. Under the scheme, each MLA will have to identify the development works to be taken up in the constituency. In the city, the Chennai Corporation will implement them.

But over the years, in the 14 constituencies in Chennai, Rs 51 crore has not be put to use since the scheme came into force, says V Madhav, a social activist who filed the RTI application.

So, despite having tremendous scope for improving the city's infrastructure by spending the allotted money, the city MLAs have done very little to look around and suggest projects to the Corporation. Since 2006, only Arcot N Veerasamy and K Anbazhagan have spend their full quota of Rs 3 crore at their Anna Nagar and Harbour constituencies in Chennai.

M K Stalin has spent Rs 1,95,57,791 in Thousand Lights, Paruthi Ilamvazhuthi Rs 1,89,21,979 in Egmore, V S Babu Rs 2,02,66,895 in Purasaiwakkam, Oscar Nigli Rs 2,56,11,028, K Mahendran (CPI-M) Rs 2,06,29,559 in Perambur and V P Kalairajan (AIADMK) Rs 2,53,88,237 in T Nagar.

However, most of the AIADMK MLAs have not made use of the funds properly. Besides Jayakumar (Rs 38,05,091), Badhar Sayeed (Rs 90,59,931) and S Ve Sekhar (Rs 1,22,30,691), P K Sekar Babu has only spent Rs 84,47,269 in R K Nagar, K Srinivasan Rs 49,59,320 in Poonga Nagar and G Senthamilan Rs 1,12,88,018 in Saidapet. M Karunanidhi has spent Rs 1,50,10,584.

[taurus]

This is a good fall out of the RTI. How much the leaders take care about utilising the fund is highlighted by this. But we should also keep in mind the fact that there is still time to utilise the fund and it is not that the fund will never be used.

[karira]

Taurus,

Only a few State Assemblies publish these figures.

Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha have the figures on their websites - for present as well as the past member MP's.

Very few of them have utilised the funds.