Rs 111.57 crores left unused in local self-governance bodies

KOCHI: The local self-governance bodies that complain of lack of funds have Rs.111.57 crores that is unused. These unused funds are invested in banks while there are no funds to run projects for drinking water, house construction, hospitals, and for other basic infrastructures.

The unused funds include the excess amount that came after the funds were released, and some of it comes from the under utilization of funds from unfinished projects that were abandoned due to mismanagement. However, no one has any data on which all panchayats have how much amount of money that is left unused.

This amount was found out when the co-ordination committee conducted data collection of the local self-governance bodies.

The department heads are ordered to find the projects for which the funds were given. The co-ordination committee have decided on the future plan only after getting the report.

43 grama panchayats have Rs.6.8 crore unused money that were given for EMS housing project, MN Lakshom Veedu, PMAY, Janakeeya housing project, and other housing projects. The Vatavada panchayat in Idukki is the number one. Out of the Rs.3.24 crores given by the Scheduled Caste department for homeless, only Rs.1 crore is spent.

In 2018, the project was begun to give 15 families from Scheduled Castes and from General category a good house. The Rs.1 crore that is shown as spent is the amount given to Habitat Technology Group. The Co-ordination committee have ordered to investigate how that fund was utilized.