Bengaluru MLAs misused local area funds: BPac

BENGALURU: Bangalore Political Action Committee on Tuesday released a report on fund utilisation by MLAs under the Local Area Development for the last four years from 2013-14 where it has highlighted 27 Assembly constituencies of Bengaluru Urban. Under the LAD funds, each MLA gets Rs 2 crore a year as grants, and 27 MLAs got Rs 8 crore each in the last four years.

The report says under the Karnataka Legislative Local Area Development guidelines, these funds can be utilised for education, infrastructure, sports, health, women and child welfare, animal husbandry, horticulture, home, tourism and sewage works. But the funds cannot be used for activities like memorial building, loan or donation.

However, according to BPAC member Anand Gundu Rao, Rs 54 crore was allotted every year for all 27 Assembly constituencies. BPAC CEO Revathy Ashok said Rs 216 crore was allotted for 27 Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru Urban in four years. “According to our analysis, 20 per cent of this was utilised for infrastructure, 18 per cent on water, 11 per cent for education, Rs 7 per cent on borewell and pumpset, 5 per cent on sewage and drains, and 38 per cent others.