Development funds unutilised by majority of Jaffna district PS's

Chaminda Perera

The majority of Pradeshiya Sabhas in the Jaffna district have not utilised funds allocated by the government for development activities.

These Pradeshiya Sabhas were ordered to send them back to the Treasury at the end of 2012 financial year.

According to a senior official of the Local Government Commissioner's office in Jaffna, funds have been allocated for construction of buildings for Pradeshiya Sabhas and road development within the purview of the respective Pradeshiya Sabhas. He said the Government has allocated massive amounts of money for every Pradeshiya Sabhas in the Jaffna district compared to other local government bodies in the South, as the development activities in the region were stagnant for years due to terrorism. The official said millions of rupees were idilying in the accounts of Pradeshiya Sabhas for long periods and work on many approved projects had not been completed within the specified time frame.

He said his office is ready to provide funds again on the condition that the work on approved projects should be completed soon.He added that these funds have been neither curtailed nor held back by the government.