2007/08/25

Exclusive charter for Walayar check-post

The Hindu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Government will come out with a Citizens’ Charter exclusively for the Walayar check-post, through which roughly 50 per cent of all goods from outside reach Kerala, on September 1, Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac said here on Friday. Releasing the ‘Citizens’ Report on Governance and Development’, brought out by Social Watch India, Dr. Isaac said the Assembly Subject Committee on Finance would visit the check-post on October 11.

The Government would scrutiny and monitor the check-post’s functioning on a regular basis so that there was absolute transparency there, the Finance Minister said.

Participating in an interactive session held as part of the function, the Minister said he suspected a deliberate bid by PWD contractors to exert pressure on the Government by claiming that not enough money was being allocated for road repair.

Contrary to their allegation, the Government had so far this year allocated a record Rs.507 crore for the Public Works Department. Of this, around Rs.100 crore would go for the building sector, but the rest would go for road construction and maintenance. In addition, the Government sanctioned Rs.50 crore for road repair in the wake of the havoc wrought by monsoon, he pointed out. Dr. Isaac said there was no question of him allowing those indulging in irregularities in road construction and maintenance. “At least a few must be given exemplary punishment to bring discipline into the system,” he said.

“Gross wastage of resources in the sector can be seen from the way around Rs.25 crore is spent every year on road repair during President’s visit to ensure ‘riding comfort’ and the way another Rs.25 crore is spent on repairing Sabarimala roads during the festival season,” he said.

Dr. Isaac attributed the current crisis to indiscriminate sanctioning of work by the UDF Government. Against the budgeted amount of Rs.150 crore, the UDF Government had sanctioned work costing Rs.800 crore. This could not but result in delay in payments, he added.

B.R.P. Bhaskar, journalist and social commentator, John Samuel, editor, Citizens’ Report on Governance and Development, B. Ekbal, former Kerala University Vice-Chancellor, and others attended the function.

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