The VMC had earmarked Rs 8.50 crores for civic works in 1998-99, apart from another combined Rs 8.50 crores for the councillors and the administrative wards.

While a section of the ruling BJP councillors has accused VMC office-bearers, including the deputy mayor and the standing committee chairman, of failing to control the administration, the VMC pleads it is still trying to catch up with ``carried-over'' works of the past years.

Ironically, that is true: the VMC spent a good part of 1997-98 completing works proposed in 1995-96 and 1996-97, in which years the elected wings were behind schedule in passing the budget.

What is underlined, however, in this mutual buck-passing exercise is the need for a more disciplined system. If councillors suggest works even after the financial year has drawn to a close, the administration is guilty of accepting those suggestions. According to highly placed sources, five months away from the conclusion of the current fiscal, councillors are yet to suggest works worth Rs 30 lakhs -- for 1997-98!

Though BJP councillor Ajit Patel agrees there should be a cut-off date for proposals, he justifies the late suggestions by claiming they like to reserve some of their quota in case the administrative ward budget for a particular work falls short.

Frequent changes of mind and suggestion of works in private areas are other reasons the elected wing falls back on its schedule. The administration fails to rise to the occasion by monitoring the works.

This year, the VMC has a couple of more factors to contend with. It has several attention-grabbing works -- including installation of high-mast lights and laying of model roads -- on its agenda, apart from the regular councillors and administrative ward works. While these are on the routine list, everything else is supposed to take priority.

Unfortunately, the factors for priority are nebulous and the planning and execution officers are more or less the same.

According to sources, staffers were also confused by the sudden switch of civic works responsibility from the main office to the ward level in the middle of the financial year. A section of officers feels the ``people-friendly step'' should have been introduced after equipping the ward offices with the requisite infrastructure.

BJP councillor Kiran Gurjar, for one, believes the system could have done wonders had it been done in a planned manner.

Whatever be the reasons, sources say civic amenities take a battering as the councillors' quota and the administrative ward budgets are supposed to make for well-rounded development of the city. Moreover, officers say, inflation ensures the VMC pays almost 10 to 15 per cent more for any civic work that takes more than a year to complete.

While the VMC now claims to have chalked out a plan to complete all works under the two budgetary heads -- the councillors' quota and the administrative ward budget -- by March 31, 1999, Municipal Commissioner G R Aloria says the entire system, including the two heads, needs to be overhauled. Asked whether changes were in the offing for 1999-2000, however, he says it would be premature to make any comments now.