Development works valuing Rs 115 crore halts in city

Aurangabad, July 5:

The five-year term of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) ended in April 2020. Hence the state government appointed the municipal commissioner as the administrator to look after the functioning of civic administration. In 2022-23, the AMC decided to undertake development works valuing Rs 1 crore each in all 115 wards in its jurisdiction. Accordingly, the nine zonal officers sent their proposals with estimates of a total valuing Rs 115 crore, to the AMC headquarters. The AMC additional commissioner approved them, but these bunch of more than 500 files (estimates) are lying in the accounts section for want of its approval. Hence it is feared that the development of the city is likely to be halted due to the whims and fancies of the officials from the accounts section.

Earlier, administrator A K Pandey was unable to undertake a single development in the last two years. The focus of AMC was on repairing works. Hence under the leadership of former mayor Nandkumar Ghodele, all party corporators urged the administrator to make a provision of funds in the AMC budget for development works of at least Rs 1 crore in each ward. The civic administration okayed it. Accordingly, the nine zone offices were alerted to send the estimates of each ward in their respective jurisdiction. Later on, a committee headed by the additional commissioner B B Nemane approved them and sent all the files to the accounts section for approval. However, the section did not take pain to give a green signal to them. The administrator expressed his displeasure when he learnt about the delay and gave them the necessary instructions.

The files could be 400-500 in number which is waiting for approval in the accounts section and other sections of AMC. The additional commissioner also spoke to the officer concerned in the accounts section and took him to task, said the sources.