Kochi Corporation Finishes Last in State Plan Fund Expenditure
As the financial year concluded on Tuesday, Kochi Corporation found itself at the bottom of the rankings for plan fund expenditure across the state. The local body, with a total outlay of Rs 98 crore, managed to spend only 48% of the allocated funds, marking a significant shortfall in project implementation and development activities.
Political Blame Game and Administrative Failures
Opposition leader K A Sreejith of the corporation did not mince words in attributing this poor performance to the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) governing council. "Kochi corporation is lagging in the allocation of project funds, ranking last among the six corporations in the state," Sreejith stated. He emphasized that during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration, the corporation had secured the top position in plan fund utilization.
"It is the mismanagement and administrative failures of the UDF governing council that led to such a situation," Sreejith added. He pointed out that after the UDF came to power, there was a noticeable lack of proper monitoring and intervention, which are crucial for fully utilizing project funds. "If proper review meetings were conducted periodically, better implementation of plan fund projects could have been ensured," he asserted.
Impact on Welfare and Development
Sreejith further criticized the corporation authorities for their apathy, which he claimed resulted in crores of rupees lapsing. "The UDF governing council is hindering welfare and development by failing to spend the allocated funds for the city's development and the welfare of marginalized groups," he said. He called on the ruling front to end such irresponsible attitudes and mismanagement to prevent further setbacks to Kochi's progress.
Authorities Cite External Challenges
In response, corporation authorities defended their performance by highlighting external factors beyond their control. Mayor V K Minimol explained that the local body could not perform well due to a lack of fund release from the state government. "Normally, the funds allocated under the plan fund scheme are disbursed in three phases. However, the state government didn't release the third instalment, which hampered our project implementation," Minimol said.
She noted that the corporation had completed work using the funds from the first two instalments almost a month ago. For instance, Rs 2.4 crore allotted for projects aimed at the welfare of Scheduled Castes was fully utilized, demonstrating their efforts within the constraints faced.
Operational Hurdles and Election Duties
Members of the finance standing committee provided additional insights into the challenges. M G Aristotle, a committee member, claimed that the state government imposed curbs on clearing treasury bills, with a daily ceiling of Rs 1 lakh. "That's why the corporation was unable to fully spend the allocated funds," Aristotle explained.
Moreover, he pointed out that corporation officials had been preoccupied with election duties for the past few weeks. "It is in the last few weeks of the financial year that most of the work is completed and bills are cleared. The absence of employees to process the bills at the peak time also affected our plan fund implementation and expenditure," Aristotle added, underscoring how external pressures compounded the issue.
Comparative Performance and Last-Minute Efforts
Interestingly, the corporation was placed second with 43% spending just a few days before the deadline. As other local bodies accelerated their efforts, completing more works and submitting bills to the state treasury in time, they improved their project progress in the final days. This last-minute surge by competitors further highlighted Kochi Corporation's struggles, ultimately pushing it to the bottom of the rankings.
The situation raises critical questions about governance, fund management, and administrative efficiency in Kochi, with implications for future development projects and the welfare of its residents.
