With the announcement of schedule for bye-elections in ten states on June 2 and 12, the Election Commission today banned release of fresh grants under the MP, MLA/MLC Local Area Development Funds in the poll-bound states. With the Model Code of Conduct coming into force, the poll body today wrote to the Cabinet Secretary and Secretary, Department of Programme Implementation, Government of India, besides Chief Secretaries and Chief Electoral Officers of the poll-bound states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, to ensure implementation of its orders. After deliberating on the issue of release of funds under the MP's Local Area Development Fund, the EC said "no fresh release of funds under the Member of Parliament (including Rajya Sabha members) Local Area Development fund shall be made in any part of the country where election is in progress." "Similarly, no fresh release of funds under the MLAs/MLCs Local Area Development Fund shall be made, if any such scheme is in operation, till the completion of election process," the EC decided. The poll body also decided that no work shall start in respect of which work orders have been issued before the issue of today's letter if the work has actually not started in the field. "These works can start only after the completion of election process. However, if a work has actually started, that can continue," the EC letter states. The Commission, however, said there shall be no bar on the release of payments for completed works subject to the full satisfaction of the concerned officials.