VIP visit to Covid centres puts additional burden on administration

Srikakulam: The district administration has been facing difficult situation for the last several months to clear payments for petrol and diesel bunks.

More quantity of petrol and diesel was consumed in the wake of Covid duties in addition regular ones and also to provide vehicles for VIPs in the district. In the wake of pandemic, about 100 vehicles have been allotted for this purpose additionally for officials and staff of various departments putting an additional burden on the administration.

As part of Covid duties, officials are making visits to inspect field level situation, medical staff also making movements for collection of samples and revenue officials and staff are also using vehicles to supply food and other material at quarantine centres and hospitals. As a result, consumption of petrol and diesel increased than normal in the district.

In addition to regular and Covid duty vehicles, VIPs movement also increased in the district. Legislative Assembly (APLA) Speaker T Sitaram, Deputy Chief Minister D Krishna Das and Minister for Animal Husbandry S Appala Raju are attending different activities across the district.

For regular, Covid and VIP protocol purpose, the administration has to provide vehicles by bearing petrol and diesel charges. Due to scarcity of funds, district administration is unable to balance all these expenses every month which is leading to increasing of debts to owners of petrol and diesel bunks in the district.

District administration has to pay more than Rs two crore for the different bunks in Singupuram, Balaga, G T Road area, Surya Mahal junction bunks in and around the Srikakulam city. In this backdrop, owners of these bunks refused to fill either diesel or petrol to the government vehicles and demanding payment of pending amount.

"We are clearing pending fuel amount to owners of all bunks shortly," said district collector J Nivas responding to The Hans India.