West Bengal government officials revealed that funds amounting to Rs 100 crore, designated for councillors at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), will be returned to the state treasury due to remaining unspent. The funds, part of the state Budget, could not be utilized as the KMC’s municipal board was dissolved following the resignation of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim last month.
With no councillors in the civic body’s 144 wards, project recommendations have stalled. The absence of meetings in the borough committees and Mayor’s Council has hindered engineers from processing proposals for various repair works, leading to a standstill in major projects like drinking water purification and drainage.
Engineers at the KMC stated that spending the allocated funds this year is unlikely, given the upcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections in November and the expected formation of a new board in December. Consequently, over Rs 100 crore from the councillor fund will be returned to the state treasury in adherence to financial regulations.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation Commissioner Smita Pandey assured that ongoing construction and repair projects will continue as planned. The ‘councillor development’ fund, initiated in the mid-1990s, aims to enhance civic services by maintaining and creating civic assets.
While BJP municipal party leader Meena Devi Purohit criticized the dissolution of the board, alleging that the funds could have been utilized by councillors, Left Front municipal party leader Madhuchanda Dev expressed concerns about potential challenges in ward-level development next year. She emphasized the need for the state government to address the situation to ensure adequate fund allocation in the future.
