Spend money or lose it: UT finance department

CHANDIGARH: The finance department of the Chandigarh administration has asked all heads of departments (HODs) of the administration to spend at least 60% of their allocated finance by the end of September, when six months of the current financial year will have passed.

The administration is looking for a grant of an additional Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 crore at least from the Centre as per revised estimates to be prepared and submitted after September.

The finance department recently called a meeting of all heads of departments in this regard. Expenditure of each department is being closely monitored and a report is being prepared. "Heads of departments will be held responsible if the said percentage is not spent during the stipulated period. Besides fixing responsibility, fund allocation to the department may be deducted", said a senior official of the Chandigarh administration. Since most of the money is being allocated to the engineering department for various projects, ongoing construction and maintenance works, the department will have to be extra vigilant while initiating work on the ground.

"The engineering department has been instructed to pass their financial estimates as soon as possible and start work on the ground, following laid down procedures. Even though the engineering department has planned various projects in the current financial year, it will be crucial to see that how much they implement on the ground by the end of the given time", sources said.

A senior UT official said reasonable expenditure is a must to take the grant in the revised estimate and if the amount was not spent, allocated money could be deducted. "We have lost around Rs 200 crore during the 2015-2016 financial year, because the administration failed to spend the reasonable amount. Although the target of the Central government is 50 % by the end of September, we have been instructed to spend 60% of the amount", said a senior officer of the UT.

The Central government allocated Rs 4,511 crore to the Chandigarh administration in the current financial year, April 2018 to March 2019. After getting the funds, the finance department allocated it to various departments. The engineering department received the maximum amount due to planned projects and related works.