The General Body Meeting of the Kalaburagi Zilla Panchayat witnessed a boycott by the opposition BJP and JDS members over the “non-release of funds due to the zilla panchayat by the State government for taking up development works”.
Even as the meeting began, the opposition members were on their feet demanding a statement from president Nitin Guttedar about the status of release of funds by the State government to the zilla panchayat. Following the noisy protest and walkout by the opposition members, the president adjourned the house for one hour.
Later, Mr.Guttedar made a vain bid to end the sit in protest by the opposition members by trying to explain that the State government had released its funds under the Chief Minister Gram Sadak Yojna and the funds due from the Union government has not been released.
When the meeting began after the break, the opposition members tried to reiterate the charge. This was refuted by the president and the ruling party members who charged that the Union government had to be blamed for the dearth of funds for taking up development works.
Mr. Guttedar said that the Union government was yet to release funds under the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) to zilla panchayats and the funds due from the 14th Finance Commission would be released directly to the gram panchayats. Congress member and former president Deepaknag Punnshetty, in his submission, said that the MPs from the State should bring pressure on the Union government to release the BRGF funds to the State.
