State Finance Commission chairman B.A. Prakash has expressed his displeasure at the laxity of local bodies in the district in raising own funds for welfare projects.
Prof. Prakash was speaking after attending a district-level meeting of the representatives of the local bodies here on Thursday.
In many cases the alleged negligence of the contractors and the dearth of construction materials had adversely affected the progress of projects, but the local bodies were yet to show interest in raising own funds for completing the works, he said.
Hike in land tax
Though a hike in land tax had helped the grama panchayats to increase their income considerably, a recent freezing of the fund as per the direction of the State government had adversely affected the execution of various welfare projects, representatives of grama panchayats said.
The administration should give preference for projects such as waste management, conserving drinking water sources, executing preventive measures to combat epidemic, protection of public graveyards and expedite steps to tackle the stray dogs menace, Prof. Prakash said.
Local bodies should focus on raising funds and utilise it effectively, instead of seeking financial assistance from governments, Prof. Prakash added.
