P.K. Sreemathy, MP, has dismissed as baseless the allegation that her utilisation of funds for projects under the MP’s Local Area Development Scheme fared lowest among that of the other MPs in the State.
Countering the allegation, she said she had submitted to the District Collector project proposals estimated at Rs.11.25 crore during June 2014 and October 2015, though the funds allotted to her under the scheme up to March 2016 was Rs.10 crore. The additional projects had been submitted as alternatives in case any of the proposals were found not feasible, she added.
“It would have been a failure on my part if I had not submitted the projects under the scheme in time,” she said blaming the implementing officers for the delay in making payments for works completed or in executing the works. To a question, she said that she did believe that the apathy on the part of the implementing officers was deliberate.
She said meetings had been held under her initiative to review the progress of the projects. The MP said that some of the projects had been given administrative sanction by the Collector.
A key proposal she had submitted during the period was a Rs.1.12-crore project for setting up smart classrooms in schools in the district. The project was still pending as no efforts had been taken to purchase computer systems, she said.
The other projects pending implementation were Rs.12.4-lakh proposal for providing wheel-chairs and tricycles to the differently-abled people, Rs.75.5-lakh proposal for renovating the Caltex Junction, Rs.45-lakh proposal for setting up a dialysis unit at the District Hospital, Rs.68-lakh proposal for setting up a tennis court at Mundayad, Rs.10-lakh for buying a school bus for Azhikode Government Higher Secondary School and Rs.15-lakh for buying school bus for the Aralam Farm Government High School. Of the projects she had submitted during the period, administrative sanction was given for projects totalling nearly Rs.8 crore, she said.