KOCHI: With just two months left for completing the plan fund expenditure, Kochi corporation could spend only 16.5% of the allocation so far. The local body authorities could spend a bit more than 30%, including the spill-over projects, which come to Rs 54 crore.Of the total Rs 148 crore allotted from the plan fund for 2018-19, Kochi corporation could spend less than Rs 20 crore."Lack of proper planning and focus on implementation of projects led to the situation. We had been stressing the need for completing the plan fund projects. We raised the issue many a time during the council meeting. Still, the authorities didn't wake up," said LDF parliamentary party secretary V P Chandran.Meanwhile, the corporation authorities said the projects were in different stages of implementation."Works are all set to be awarded in case of many projects. Once the works are awarded, the percentage of spending would go up," said development standing committee chairperson Gracy Joseph.According to councillors belonging to opposition parties, the Congress leadership has been engaged in a tug of war for the post of mayor.Shiny Mathew wants to be the mayor. She says the leadership has given assurance that she would be elected as the mayor soon. At the same time, mayor Soumini Jain is not ready to quit the post."This has led to a standstill in the administration front. The mayor and team don't have time to spare for administrative matters. Moreover, the tussle between the mayor and officials led by corporation secretary also contribute to the administrative failure," Chandran said.As per the state government's instruction, implementation of the plan fund projects should be completed by January 2019. At least 70% of the projects should be completed by next month. "Since only 16.5% of funds could be spent so far, it is certain that the local body won't be able to complete the remaining projects in the next two months. This is due to the negligence on the part of the corporation authorities," Chandran said.The corporation authorities had failed to submit the projects designed under plan fund scheme for the approval of district planning committee (DPC) on time. Of the 1,050 plan fund projects, only 100 projects could be submitted by the corporation when deadline was over on March 31.The projects had to be uploaded in the website of district planning council (DPC) before the midnight of March 31. Delay in designing projects and completing procedures associated with it led to the crisis.The corporation authorities conducted important meetings such as working groups' meetings, standing committee meetings, steering committee meetings and corporation council meetings on March 31.The meetings should have been conducted on separate dates thereby giving adequate time for designing and effecting corrections in the projects.

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