Adilabad ZP hit by fund crunch

Adilabad: The Adilabad Zilla Parishad has been hit by a severe fund crunch. The amount in its General Fund Account has been found insufficient even for the payment of energy bills.

As a result, it has not been able to spend on road works and drinking water schemes in villages. The Zilla Parishad’s financial status has been deteriorating, as the day-to-day allocation of grants by both the Central and the State governments has been scrapped.

Even though the 13th Finance Commission has set apart some funds, the 14th Finance Commission has done away with them as the amounts are being directly allocated to villages.

Earlier, the ZP used to have crores of Rupees in its General Fund. The government used to allocate funds to the mandal parishads, with the minimum amount being Rs.10 lakh, through the Zilla Parishad and lakhs used to be spent.

Now the situation has been reversed. The ZP has only Rs.6,000 and is facing severe fund crunch. The State ZPTCs Forum president Hemaji has expressed concern saying that the ZP is not in a position to allocate even Rs.10,000 to a work sought by people.

The financial crisis has arisen also because of the State government, which allocated Rs.2 crore from 2014 to March 2016, has not sanctioned funds during the three quarters of the year 2016-17, plunging the financial status of the Zilla Parishad and the MPPs to deplorable levels.

Even the taxes to be allocated to the General Fund are not being accrued. Consequently, let alone spending on development works, even maintenance works of offices are not taken up.

Adilabad ZPTC Member Ijjagiri Ashok told The Hans India here on Sunday that the State government, like Karnataka, should allocate funds to the ZP, recalling that the neighbouring dispensation did so even though the Central funds have been dispensed with.

He wants the State to set apart funds for development works taken up by the ZP, while contending that severe injustice was being done to the ZP and the MPPs by the Finance Commission in scrapping allocation of funds.

The 13th Finance Commission had allocated Rs.36 crore to Adilabad district. The amount would have gone up to Rs.50 crore had the 14th Finance Commission not scrapped funds.

With this amount not being made available, works in villages pertaining to roads, graveyards, drinking water schemes and schools have been affected, thus pushing the ZP set-up into a crisis situation, point out the ZPTC members, while expressing anxiety.

Officials admit that the fund allocation to the Zilla Parishad has been cut. They pointed out that earlier, 20 per cent of the Zilla Parishad funds used to be added to the amounts, Adilabad ZP CEO Jitender Reddy told The Hans India.

Now ,these funds are being directly allocated to villages, say officials, paving the way for their expeditious development.

The ZP members want the State government to emulate Karnataka in making available funds to the Zilla Parishad so as to restore its past glory.