Srinagar, Nov 13 (HS): National Conference (NC) leader and Rajya Sabha member Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan on Friday termed as misleading media reports that claimed only Rs 26 lakh had been spent from his Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds, saying Rs 5.09 crore of the total Rs 7.35 crore available has been released.

In a statement, Ramzan expressed anger over reports carried by some news channels and digital portals, and said the Rs 26 lakh figure had no bearing on the actual financial position or the progress of development works.

He said he took oath as a member of Parliament on December 1, 2025. Accessing and releasing MPLADS funds, he said, requires several mandatory steps, including selecting a nodal district, completing official formalities and opening an MPLADS account. The process takes five to six months, he said, and the funds became available only a few months ago.

Ramzan said works under the scheme must also pass through proposal scrutiny, approvals from the concerned authorities and tendering, and many projects are currently at various stages of tendering. This, he said, should not be read as non-utilisation of funds or an absence of development activity.

The funds have been allocated for public welfare and infrastructure in Srinagar, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara and Budgam districts, he said. The projects cover drinking water supply, roads and connectivity, electricity, repair of footpaths, solar and street lights, fire and emergency services, medical equipment for hospitals, block-level works, protection walls, bridges and assistance under the disability fund.

Rs 60 lakh has also been earmarked for developmental purposes at SKIMS Soura, and the project is at the tendering stage, he added.

He said many works are nearing completion, while others are going through administrative approval and tendering.

Ramzan said the same procedures and timelines apply to other MPs of the party, whose projects are also at different stages of approval and tendering. The actual status of these projects, he said, can be verified independently from the deputy commissioners of the districts concerned, who are the nodal authorities for implementing MPLADS.

Presenting a complete picture of fund utilisation on the basis of a single figure of Rs 26 lakh, while ignoring the overall financial position and the various projects, amounts to distorting facts, he said.

He appealed to the news channels and portals concerned to verify official records before publishing financial data, exercise journalistic responsibility and caution, and correct the misleading reports at once.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat