UPA-II is frugal on funds disbursal

Chennai: While UPA-I has been a milch cow for Tamil Nadu, showering funds for many infrastructure and state-sponsored sch­emes, UPA-II regime has been frugal in allocating funds for the state, confirmed confidential sou­rces at the secretariat.

Projects like Chennai metro rail, Chennai mi­cro and macro drain pro­j­ect to alleviate flooding, elevated corridor conn­ecting Chennai port, Ma­d­u­ravoyal and gr­ade separators at Kat­hipara, Koyambedu and Amb­attur came in during UPA-I governance, but now the Centre has been economical when it co­mes to infrastructure pr­o­jects or relief, related to floods or cyclone.

For instance, the state demanded about Rs 19,665 crore as relief from the Centre to improve the  Cyclone Thane-hit areas and other districts wh­ich witnessed drou­ght, but the state got a little over Rs 645 crore as relief from the Union government for natural calamities, informed sources said.

“Despite several communications and requ­ests from the state, the Union government has been indifferent to the state’s needs on several issues. Be it providing relief am­­ount or providing power supply thr­ough the national grid,” said Avadi Murthy, party speaker, AIADMK headquarters.

“Our party supremo has been insisting to the Centre time and again, seeking intervention on various issues, but the UPA has done nothing to benefit the state or making Tamil Nadu a surplus state,” he added.

The fund flow has certainly reduced between the Centre and state over the past three years as there are no major joint venture projects coming up between the two.

However, the Centre is not biased while distributing funds under flood relief. It is a common phe­nomenon across the country and most of the states do get only a partial amount of flood relief package sought fr­om the Centre, exp­lained a senior official.