Post News Network
Cuttack, March 17: Lack of a decisive move by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation to raise revenue by setting up more kalyan mandaps in the city has invited flak from all and sundry.
According to sources, the civic body had planned five such mandaps in the city. However, a scarcity of funds meant that the plan was limited to paper. CMC had laid the foundation stone for setting up a modern kalyan mandap at Machhua Bazaar twice but little was done for its construction.
The municipal corporation had decided to increase the tariff for its only air-conditioned kalyan mandap at Chaudhury Bazaar as part of its efforts to raise revenue. However, the civic body is yet to execute the proposal, corporators said. The kalyan mandap has failed to meet the demands of the residents during the marriage season. Now, one has to pay `25,000 to book the top floor of the mandap and Rs 20,000 for the ground floor.
The CMC has earned Rs 27.39 lakh as user charges from the mandap in 2012-13, Rs 28.23 lakh in 2013-14 and 23.61 lakh in 2014-15. The civic body, however, failed to meet the Rs 60 lakh target set for the 2014-15 fiscal. Hiking the charges would help the CMC come up with more such mandaps, said former corporator Saraswati Barik. Licence Standing Committee chairman Bikash Behera said though the number of wards was raised from 54 to 59, the state government hardly allocates funds for their development.
The civic body has earmarked funds for setting up kalyan mandaps at Biju Patnaik Square, CDA Sector-7, Potapokhari, Nuapada, Jagatpur and near Sadar police station, Behera stated.
Corporator NC Panda, accused the authorities of adopting dilly-dallying tactics to begin construction work of kalyan mandap at Macchua Bazaar.
