DPC approved Rs 508 crore works under suspicion!

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The District Planning Committee (DPC) has granted administrative approval for works worth Rs 508 crore, out of a total of Rs 660 crore, covering the period from April 1 to December 31, 2024. Of this, the work orders of works valuing around Rs 250 crore have been issued by the concerned departments, while work orders for another Rs 250 crore are in the final stages. However, due to objections raised by the minister Sanjay Shirsat regarding additional works, these projects have now come under suspicion. This situation is likely to escalate tensions between Shirsat and former minister Abdul Sattar.

The new guardian minister has little time for planning through the DPC until March 31. As a result, there are expectations of turmoil within the Shinde Sena. It will become clear in the coming months how many of the works approved by the end of March will be completed, how many will be cancelled, and how many contractors may go to court.

Projects shared with opposition parties

Through the DPC, opposition parties of the Mahayuti were allocated projects worth crores of rupees. The allocation of funds in all three constituencies including East led to increased dissatisfaction among Mahayuti MLAs. The issue was brought to notice of the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in September. Some MLAs informed the former Chief Minister that former Minister Abdul Sattar was behind the allocation of these projects to opposition parties through the DPC.

Funds Redirected to Other Projects

The funds allocated for mandatory responsibility-based projects were redirected to other works, which led to dissatisfaction among Mahayuti MLAs. It was discussed before the elections that a significant portion of the funds from the DPC’s annual budget, instead of being used for responsibility-bound projects, were diverted to other projects. This shift in fund allocation raised concerns and complaints from the Mahayuti legislators.

Why the spark of dissatisfaction?

Former guardian minister Abdul Sattar's decision to allocate public welfare projects in his constituency led to the spark of dissatisfaction within Mahayuti. In the Sillod-Soyegaon constituency, out of 260 projects worth Rs 26 crore, around 134 projects were diverted by him. The district administration approved these projects within just four days. The lack of equal distribution of projects led to dissatisfaction even within the Mahayuti camp.

These projects, which included the construction of crematoriums, cement roads within villages, boundary walls for cemeteries, sheds for Dalit communities, and concrete work for village panchayats, were all directed by the former minister to his constituency. A significant portion of these 260 projects were related to cement roads, with project costs ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 13 lakh each.

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Number of Projects in Each Tehsil:

Sillod: 106

Soyegaon: 28

Gangapur: 20

Kannad: 20

Vaijapur: 14

Phulambri: 13

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: 13

Khuldabad: 9

Paithan: 10

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Financial Situation for the Year 2024-25 Plan

At the State Level:

Provisioned Fund: Rs 451 crore

Received Fund: Rs 179 crore

Distributed Fund: Rs 145 crore

At the Zilla Parishad Level:

Provisioned Fund: Rs 208 crore

Received Fund: Rs 84 crore

Distributed Fund: Rs 41 crore

Total:

Provisioned Fund: Rs 660 crore

Received Fund: Rs 264 crore

Distributed Fund: Rs 186 crore