If the municipality could not spend in two years, 70 crores will go back to the state government

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation received a grant of 250 crore rupees from the state government for city development works in preparation for the ‘G-20’ summit. However, over the past two years, 70 crore rupees of this fund have not been spent. As a result, the 70 crore rupees will be returned to the state government.

The city hosted international G-20 summit meetings in January and November 2023 to promote sustainable development. Preparations for the event had started back in 2022. Since representatives from 20 countries, as well as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, were expected to attend, it was a prestigious event for the city.

To mark the occasion, beautification, road repairs, and other development works were undertaken in the city. The government initially allocated 50 crore rupees, followed by another 200 crore rupees, making a total of 250 crore rupees for the summit. The municipal corporation proposed several projects using this fund and submitted the list to the government. However, the administration was unable to spend the entire fund.

Before the state legislative assembly elections, several welfare schemes were implemented, which led to a financial strain on the state’s treasury. As a result, the state government has requested the return of unspent funds that had been allocated to local self-governing bodies. This includes funds given in the 2022-23 financial year.

From the 50 crore rupees allocated for the G-20 summit, only 37 crore rupees have been spent, while works for 13 crore rupees are still only on paper. From the later grant of 200 crore rupees, 143 crore rupees’ worth of works have begun, and 57 crore rupees remain unspent. The government has now sent a letter requesting the return of the 70 crore rupees that have not been utilized.