Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has said that a significant portion of funds allocated to municipal councillors remains unutilised. This was disclosed in reply to a query made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.In the financial year 2024–25, councillors were allotted grants worth Rs 76.8 crore, of which Rs 53.7 crore was utilised. This left 30.1% of the funds unspent, the civic body said in its response.The data was provided following a query by activist Santoshsinh Rathod. The AMC further disclosed that over the past four years, a total of Rs 268.8 crore was allocated to councillors, out of which Rs 201.6 crore was spent, while the remaining amount was returned unused.Year-wise details indicate varying utilisation levels. In 2021–22, councillors used Rs 37 crore (64.1%) out of Rs 57.6 crore allocated. Utilisation improved in subsequent years, with Rs 48.2 crore (83.6%) spent in 2022–23 and Rs 62.7 crore (81.6%) used in 2023–24 out of allocations of Rs 57.6 crore and Rs 76.8 crore, respectively.Rathod alleged that a notable portion of the funds — estimated between 20% and 25% — was spent on items such as society signboards, boards, and benches. He also pointed out that the AMC secretary’s office clarified that no official resolution permits displaying councillors’ names on such installations.Raising further concerns, Rathod said that three councillors from Bhaipura ward collectively spent Rs 1.4 lakh from their grants to purchase an air conditioner for a ward office, despite such expenditure not being listed as permissible under AMC resolutions.Additionally, he alleged lack of transparency in the Ahmedabad Municipal School Board’s functioning. According to Rathod, the board failed to provide details of contractor bills and certificates confirming the receipt of books by principals of AMC-run schools for recently procured reading materials.
