After criticism, Suresh Kalmadi sanctions projects from Tihar Jail

Pune:  City MP Suresh Kalmadi appears to be on an image-building exercise. Now lodged in Tihar jail, the prison ambience has not stopped him from devising new plans to improve his constituency. A senior officer from the Election Branch said that fresh proposals from Kalmadi had been sent from Tihar jail on July 18. "Kalmadi had signed the letter of his new proposal on July 13, but the fax was sent from Tihar Jail on July 18," the source said.

These proposals come at a time just a few days after Kalmadi was rated the 'worst performing MP' for spending only 20 per cent of the allocated funds for the city. Ostensibly stung by these reports, Kalmadi has been busy churning out project proposals to be spent on development works in the city. These proposals have Kalmadi's signature and have been sent to the Collector's office.

Mangala Ghode, district planning officer, in-charge of MP funds for the entire district, confirmed Kalmadi has allocated Rs 2.3 crore for development works in the city. "It includes Rs 1.32 lakh for the schedule caste and schedule tribe works at various residential areas in and around the city. He has also recommended Rs 1 crore on women's mobile toilets in the city from his MP fund," Ghode said.

"His other recommendations are Rs 30 lakh for eight roads in the city, Rs 50 lakh to erect a bordering wall between the Bund Garden to Burning Ghat on Mula-Mutha Rivers for protection against flood water, Rs 2.5 lakh for computers in schools, and Rs 10 lakhs for crematorium at Nirgude village near Manjri Khurd.  "Further procedure of approval and recommendation for the actual works shall be done following the first installment of the MP fund that will come from Delhi," Ghode said.

The proposals also include Rs 20 lakh for drainage and Rs 10 lakh for gymnasiums. Ghode said Kalmadi had been using money from the MP fund for development works in the city. "He has been using all the money, but we are yet to know how much of the funding has been spent on which project. The meeting about the expenditure is expected after the Loksabha session," she said. Vinod Surve, Kalmadi's secretary, said that he had taken Kalmadi's
signature for the Rs 2.3 crore proposal from Delhi.

He did not specify where the signature was taken on the proposal letter which was sent to the Pune District Collector's office. "Kalmadi will send another list of proposals within the next two weeks for his constituency," he said. Kalmadi is the people's representative and is playing a larger role as the MP for his constituency," Surve said.