Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 7: The Legislative Assembly today witnessed pandemonium over the alleged withholding of funds for the development of bad pocket areas with ruling Coalition partners and Opposition MLAs cornering the Minister for Planning and Development Ajay Kumar Sadhotra and NPP MLAs sitting on dharna in the well of the House before staging walk-out over the issue.
The cornering of the Minister for Planning and Development began when in reply to the supplementary of PDP MLA, Peerzada Mansoor Hussain he informed the House that an amount of only Rs 100 crore was yet to be released by the Union Government while as in the written reply to the main question he had mentioned that State Government has received Rs 5391.26 crore against the estimated Central assistance of Rs 6384 crore as on February 28, 2013.
“The Minister has given contradictory reply. We want to know how and where the Government will spend the remaining amount of over Rs 900 crore especially when the financial year is all set to close”, PDP MLA asked, adding “though the Government is claiming that District Development Commissioners are authorized for utilization of plan resources right from day one of the financial year, I have not seen any DC starting spending plan funds from April 1”.
Joining the issue, National Panthers Party MLA, Harshdev Singh said that for development of bad pocket areas the Government had kept provision of Rs 50 crore during last year’s budget but till date an amount of only Rs 20 crore has been released. “Despite being aware of the fact that there is limited working season in the bad pocket areas, the Government has withheld Rs 30 crore”, he further said and sought to know the reason behind delay in release of this amount.
Pandemonium broke out in the House when Minister for Planning and Development, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra said, “Jaise Hi Paisa Aata Hai Kharch Kar Denge” (funds would be utilized as and when made available)”.
“Rs 50 crore was a budgetary provision. From where the funds will come?” asked Harshdev Singh, adding “this is a criminal act as you have withheld the funds for those areas which need special attention. You have to inform the House as to why the funds have not been released till date. We will not allow discrimination with bad pocket areas. It seems money has been misappropriated”.
PDP MLA, Moulvi Iftikhar Ansari too joined the issue and asked, “how can Minister say that funds are yet to come when Rs 50 crore was a budgetary provision”. Another PDP MLA Abdul Haq Khan said, “we want to know whether the Government will make the funds for bad pockets non-lapse-able as such areas remain inaccessible for several months”.
Later, all the NPP MLAs—Harshdev Singh, Balwant Mankotia and Yash Pal Kundal left their seats in protest and staged dharna in the well of the House while raising slogans “Backward Pocket Areas Scheme Mein Hera Pheri Band Karo” and “Pick and Choose Nahin Chalega”.
CPM MLA Mohd Yousaf Tarigami, while pointing towards the written reply of the Minister to the question of Peerzada Mansoor Hussain remarked, “there are ambiguities. Minister has to give clear reply as this is the question of development of bad pocket areas”.
Congress MLA and former Minister, G M Saroori also expressed concern over delay in release of remaining funds for bad pocket areas and said that at least Government should have given authorization for execution of works as the financial year is all set to close and such areas would remain deprived of their due share. He also demanded enhancement of amount from Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore.
Another coalition MLA and former Minister, Qamar Ali Akhoon also sought to know from the Minister the amount released for the bad pocket areas in Kargil district while as Congress MLAs Ashok Kumar and Krishan Chander Bhagat demanded timely release of funds for such areas in their constituencies and enhancement of budgetary provision of Rs 50 crore.
National Conference MLAs Peer Afaq and Yasin Shah demanded enhancement of District Plan of Srinagar and said, “it is unfortunate that district plan of Srinagar is lowest in the State”, adding “we want assurance from the Minister or direction from the Chair”.
PDP’s Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and Rafiq Hussain Khan also expressed concern over withholding of funds for bad pocket areas.
Replying to the volley of queries from ruling coalition MLAs as well as those from the Opposition parties, the Minister for Planning and Development, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra said, “Rs 30 crore worth works are already going on in the bad pocket areas. However, the main question was entirely different from this issue”.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the reply of the Minister, NPP MLAs and Rafiq Hussain Khan staged walk.
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