Municipal authorities are forced to take up repair works of other depts. fearing public backlash
Regular maintenance of drains, street lights, water supply, and roads in Chittoor and Tirupati municipal corporations and the six municipalities in the district has been affected, thanks to non-release of funds to contractors.
Though the files related to the execution of various works and maintenance of public services have been approved and forwarded at the district level they are stuck at the higher level since January this year, according to reports.
The situation has come to such a pass that municipal authorities, fearing backlash from the public, are forced to take up repair and maintenance works related to other departments. “The highways which pass through corporations and municipalities fall under the jurisdiction of the R&B wing but the general public blame us for their poor maintenance. So, we are forced to take up repairs of R&B roads which has become an additional burden on us,” laments a municipal commissioner.
“Even for the ongoing Jagananna Colony works, we are bearing the cost of deploying earthmovers and technical crew. Somehow, we are managing now. The contractors are pressurising us for funds. Though we are not in a position to bear the additional burden and want to make that clear, we are afraid of facing the wrath of our superior officers,” narrates another municipal commissioner.
The problem of pending bills and unwillingness of contractors to take part in tender processes for various works is also widely felt in the key departments such as Irrigation, R&B, Panchayat Raj and Medical and Health.
Focus on Central schemes
A senior official of the Water Resources Department says that bills of the Neeru-Chettu works taken up during the earlier government continue to remain unpaid. “We are currently not taking up any work with State funds but concentrating only on the schemes funded by the Central government,” he explains.
An official at the Panchayat Raj wing says that no approval has come for any new work in the district. “Except for unavoidable works, we are mostly concentrating on the works linked to the NREGS,” he says.
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