The Palghar Zilla Parishad will restructure and reallocate unspent funds from its 2025-26 supplementary plan under the 15th Finance Commission to address concerns over regional imbalance in development spending, chief executive officer Manoj Ranade said.
The decision follows objections that Jawhar and Vikramgad talukas received preferential treatment in the supplementary plan while other talukas were left without adequate development funding. The Zilla Parishad has said the remaining funds will be distributed according to the need for works and geographical balance across the district.
The original 15th Finance Commission plan, approved through resolution number 498 at the Zilla Parishad’s general-body meeting on December 13, 2024, was valued at ₹11.58 crore. A supplementary plan of ₹4.53 crore was subsequently prepared from interest income, additional funds received by the Zilla Parishad and money released from cancelled works, according to a brief reference in the minutes of the general-body meeting held on February 17, 2025.
The supplementary plan approved 35 works in Mokhada and 15 works in Vikramgad, while other talukas were reportedly left out. Local office-bearers of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) first raised objections over the distribution. Former Zilla Parishad members later also expressed dissatisfaction about the regional allocation of funds and met officials to demand changes to the plan.
The Zilla Parishad is also examining estimates prepared for some of the approved works. One proposal in Mokhada involved spending about ₹8 lakh on a school toilet described in the report as a high-end facility. Questions were raised because the work was planned through the construction department even though school-related works are generally handled by the education department. Concerns were also expressed over the proposed cost of repairing the toilet, which was reported to be several times higher than the cost of constructing a new facility.
An internal inquiry is examining why estimates for the works were not prepared according to the prevailing Schedule of Rates, or DSR, used for public construction projects. The construction department has been asked to provide an explanation, according to the report.
Some works included in the supplementary plan have already been completed. The Zilla Parishad said the remaining funds would be reassessed before being reallocated. The revised spending is expected to include pending toilet construction for children at 14 Zilla Parishad schools and repairs to anganwadi centres.
“The remaining funds in the supplementary plan will be used to provide justice to all talukas. The works carried out under this plan will be inspected,” Ranade said, according to the report. The Zilla Parishad’s next steps are the completion of inspections, review of the outstanding works and redistribution of available funds before the funding period ends.
