UP govt sets up panel to monitor financial health of civic bodies

LUCKNOW, Uttar Pradesh: The Government of Uttar Pradesh has set up a high-level monitoring committee to monitor the financial health of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the state. The committee will be taken over by the Chief Secretary and eight other members of the board will review the balance sheets of the civic bodies on a quarterly basis.

The Central government made clear to all the states that no grants will be released to the civic bodies if its recommendations are not acted upon post-March 2024. With 762 ULBs in the state, only two-thirds of them have been complying with various parameters that have been stipulated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.

All the ULBs have to provide audited annual accounts, property tax operationalisation, and detailed utilization report of the funds, the performance achieved as per 28 service level benchmarks, open defecation status, and garbage disposal status.

Amrit Abhijat, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh said, “To ensure ULBs adhere to the conditions, a committee, comprising eight members, has been constituted after the review. Chief secretary, agricultural production commissioner, additional chief or principal secretaries heading finance, Panchayati raj, environment, law, and urban development departments will be its members along with the secretary of the state’s pollution control board.”