Finance dept delays funds, bus stand hangs fire

BALASORE: People of Balasore will have to wait for some more time for the new bus stand that would be constructed by the Balasore Regional Improvement Trust (BRIT) in an area of eight acres at Ganeswarpur here.The construction of the much awaited bus stand whose foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 14, 2010, has been delayed due to lack of funds.Sources said the Finance Department is yet to release ` 11.06 crore, which is due on it towards the increased stamp duty of BRIT for 2007-11. Though the BRIT authorities have furnished the demand in January, no communication has reached them yet.BRIT Chairman Gouri Kumar Rout said once they get the funds, the construction will be done on a war footing. “We have already purchased eight acres of land at a cost of ` 5.8 crore. The budget estimate is ` 10 crore,” he said.Rout said the trust gets 3 per cent stamp duty from the District Sub-Registrar (DSR) on the sale and purchase of land in Balasore, Soro, Nilagiri and Jaleswar areas under the Transfer of Property (TP) Act every year.  “Though as per the TP Act we should get the increased stamp duty of ` 14,28,58,467 from the DSR for the fiscal 2007-08 to 2010-11, we have so far received `3,22,12,011. The rest ` 11,06,46,456 has been pending. Generally, as DSR deposits the funds with the Finance Department, we have furnished our demand to the latter seeking an early release of money,” he said. Besides the bus stand, BRIT is to construct a shopping complex-cum-kalyan mandap at Jaleswar. The officials said the trust is in financial crisis after the payment for the land purchased at Ganeswarpur. The bus stand cannot be constructed, if the Finance Department does not release funds soon.Meanwhile, the BRIT has sent a letter to the Chief Minister seeking his intervention into the proposal sent to the Commerce and Transport Department for release of funds for the bus stand. “Two years back we had sent a proposal to the Commerce and Transport Department for funding the project which is gathering dust. The construction is delayed as neither the Transport nor the Finance Department is helpful,” the Chairman added.