Of Rs 3,500 Cr for ULBs, JMC gets only Rs 27 Cr in 8 months

JAMMU: The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), since its formation in October 2018 after nearly 9 years, has only been provided around Rs twenty-seven crores by the Government of India for undertaking various development works and that too in two installments, one in May and another in June this year, official sources informed.

The Government of India is expected to provide funds to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the state amounting to more than Rs 3500 crores under the 14th Finance Commission.

However, sources informed that after lapse of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in the state and declaration of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Government of India released only 2 installments each amounting to over Rs 13 crores to JMC.

Sources informed that the concerned authorities, since the formation of ULBs in the state in October 2018, had repeatedly been demanding central funds from the GoI under 14th Finance Commission for carrying development works and meeting other expenditures.

The GoI, under the 14th Finance Commission, has released funds for panchayats of Jammu and Kashmir in January last year which were pending since 2016-17 but the ULBs are still devoid of huge central funds since their formation in October 2018, around 8 months back.

Funds over Rs 400 crore for panchayats had been lying pending since 2016-17 out of which more than Rs 200 crores was released by the Center to Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the ULBs have still been awaiting central funds amounting in hundreds of crores.

“We have only been provided around Rs 27 cr by the Government of India (GoI) in 2 installments for undertaking development works and meeting other expenditures,” Mayor, JMC, Chander Mohan Gupta informed The News Now When contacted.

“After declaration of 2019 Lok Sabha elections and lapsing of MCC, we received one installment of around 13.5 crores, and in June, we received another installment of around Rs 13.5 crores,” the Mayor told the News Now.

He however, said that Jammu Municipal Corporation will get the remaining central funds shortly as requisition and other required codal formalities have been sent to the central government.

Sources said Jammu and Kashmir’s Urban Local Bodies were entitled to Rs 125.3 crores worth grants in 2015-16 and Rs 173.5 crores in 2016-17, totaling Rs 298.8 crores.

Rs 51.21 crores were Performance Grants for the Municipalities during 2016-17, which takes the total amount to Rs 350.01 crores. However, the State did not get those funds in absence of ULBs.