Ruckus in Cuttack Municipal Corporation meeting over MUKTA Scheme ‘irregularities’

A key meeting of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) was abruptly halted on Wednesday following heated exchanges between BJP and Congress corporators, and CMC officials over alleged corruption in the Mukhya Mantri Karma Tatpar Abhiyan (MUKTA) scheme.

The meeting reached a boiling point, prompting the Mayor to leave midway.

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“Annual budget was to be placed in the session. No other matter was to be discussed. We did not have more subjects on the agenda,” CMC Mayor Subhash Singh stated.

The corporators from the BJP and Congress caused significant disruptions. They demanded that payments be withheld until a detailed probe of the completed work is undertaken.

Accusations flew from BJP and Congress corporators, asserting to halt the Mukta scheme execution since the government's transition, while arguing that the payment issues for jobs already accomplished remain unaddressed. They contended that the disbursement, nearly twice the sanctioned amount, warrants scrutiny first.

The chairman of the Works Committee disclosed that Rs 81 Crore are anticipated from the State government for MUKTA-related works, but the received funds have been exhausted. Further contractor payments hinge on the government clearing the outstanding balance.

Standing firm, the dissenting corporators insisted that probes precede funds disbursement, culminating in the session's premature adjournment.

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“The works (under the Mukta scheme) were not carried out in a proper manner. Around Rs 50 Lakh was spent in some Wards and Rs 5 Crore in some others. This reflects a big difference in fund allocation. Irregularities were conducted in the MUKTA yojana and a probe must be done,” BJP corporator Gagan Ojha said while speaking to the media.