JK’s urban local bodies get Rs 18 cr fund infusion to expedite works

Srinagar: In a significant move to give impetus to the developmental works in the urban areas, the Governor’s Administration Thursday released Rs 18 crore additionality for 80 Urban Local Bodies in the State.
According to an official spokesman, the special grant has been released for Municipal Corporations of Jammu and Srinagar, six Municipal Councils and 72 Municipal Committees in the State.
He said the resources available for different urban local bodies including Municipal Corporations and Committees are usually limited, constraining their capacity to carry out even normal maintenance works.
“The regular budget of different municipal bodies in the state is only Rs8 crore per annum,” he said.
The spokesman said in the absence of elected local bodies, huge grants which would otherwise have accrued to these local bodies could not be availed by them.
He said the Government while responding to the mounting public demands regularly being highlighted during public hearings of the Advisors and in the Governor’s Grievance Cell, decided to provide funds to these local bodies to undertake various developmental works.
“The infusion of a significant additional amount of money in this sector will enable urban local bodies to take up urgent works in their respective jurisdictions and complete these during current financial year,” he said and added that the additionality of Rs18 crore will also free up resources under the normal capex budget, thereby, enabling the urban local bodies to take up a large number of lighting, upgradation, lane/drain, repair and maintenance works on priority.