HP govt seeks EC permission to spend sanctioned budget funds
Expenditure on developmental works had come to a halt due imposition of model code of conduct in Himachal Pradesh since October 3 last month.
In a letter to the Election Commission of India, Chief Secretary S Roy pointed out that working season was very limited due to onset of winter and developmental works would be hit if sanctioned budget of various departments was not allowed to be spent.
He said that polling had already been held in the state on November 4 and the purpose of imposing the code of conduct has already been achieved and as such, departments should be allowed to spend the sanctioned budget.
The model code of conduct would remain in force upto December 24 and very little time would be left for spending the budget as the progress of work is very slow in mid and higher hills during the peak winters.
The government had only spent the budget of first two quarters on 2012-13 and it can incur maximum expenditure till mid December, failing which a substantial amount of unspent budget would lapse.
The code of conduct would remain in force for about two and a half months (73 days), which was longest period in the electoral history of the state.