Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In the aftermath of the Lok Sabha elections, the district finds itself grappling with a significant setback in its development planning.
Despite the fact that elections are over, the district's annual plan remains in limbo due to a delay in financial decisions from the state government.
A demand is being made to pay attention towards the planning of the district’s development. The review meeting of the district’s annual schemes’ planning was held in January 2024. There was a model code of conduct between March 17 and June 5 in view of the Lok Sabha elections.
Because of this, the work of the planning has not been done since then. As the elections were over, there was a demand to pay attention to the district’s development planning.
The demand for a substantial allocation of fund of Rs 1000 crore was made with the government for the district. It is said that a draft of Rs 660 crore was approved, but the government’s Finance and Planning Department has not declared it.
District Collector Deelip Swami issued directives to expedite planning efforts, urging heads of various departments to prioritise pending works and ensure their timely completion.
The plan of the previous financial year of Rs 560 crores was reportedly fully planned, with a new request for allocation spanning April 2024 to March 2025. However, the onset of the Lok Sabha Election Code of Conduct stalled financial deliberations, halting planning efforts for six months.
A meeting of administrative heads convened by the district collector underscored the urgency of addressing pending works and emphasised the importance of submitting utilisation certificates promptly for completed projects. Furthermore, the administration aims to bolster efficiency by organizing training sessions for officers and employees on utilizing the online processing system developed by the Planning Department. Heads of all the departments were present.
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Who will chair next meeting
It is not clear who will chair the District Planning Committee (DPC) meeting, whether a new Guardian Minister or existing Guardian Minister Sandeepan Bhumare. There is a possibility that Bhumare is chairing a meeting before the expansion of Cabinet. The DPC meeting is likely to be held by June end.