Amit Mitra West Bengal FM 'coffers are empty'

Finance Minister Amit Mitra in Media briefing said that the Left government unpaid bills of the government amounts to Rs 3,500Cr and may have borrowed this proportion at least from the Centre to ensure salaries of its employees and interest payment on loans. In order to ease the financial constraints the State Government is now looking at a strategy. Further added West Bengal's revenue deficit position in year 2010-11 stood at debit balance of Rs.16,441 Cr and comparing Bihar was in the surplus.“These are authentic figures and there is no scope of denying them,” Amit said. According to Mitra, Mamata lifted the embargo on payments and the process of clearing the bills started today.“A government cannot say that we will not make payments for the expenses incurred by the earlier government. But what makes me sad is they had even stopped planned expenditure that could have helped the people of the state,” the former Ficci secretary-general said.Media agencies