YSRCP negligence deprived AP of Central funds: Narayana

Visakhapatnam: Minister for municipal administration and urban development P Narayana said that the municipal department that totally went haywire during the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh will be put back on track within six months.

After visiting the waste-to-energy plant here on Wednesday, the minister stated that the new government was trying to get the Central funds which were stopped due to the negligence of the previous government.

The minister said that Rs 454 crore funds were released to the state in the first instalment of the 15th Finance Commission. But the amount was not spent on the municipalities and hence the second instalment of Rs 300 crore was not released.

He stated that the Swachh Bharat Mission funds of Rs 298 crore in 2021 had also been stalled as the matching grant was not paid by the YSRCP government.

“In Tanuku, the corporation released Rs 730 crore TDR bonds instead of Rs 59 crore. As per the court orders, committees have been formed to look into illegal TDRs. Following a detailed investigation, the TDR issue will come to a conclusion by the end of the next month,” Narayana assured.

The minister informed that another 75 Anna Canteens will be started on September 13. Speaking about land encroachments, the municipal administration and urban development minister said that they would demolish the structures in parks and government lands as soon as possible so that they will be used for the public.

Further, the minister informed that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is thinking of setting up 13 waste plants in 13 undivided districts of AP.

“In China and Japan, there are dumping yards along with waste management plants between apartment complexes, but there is no stench. But in the Visakhapatnam plant, the stench is still there. The waste management plant should take measures to ensure that there was no stench emanating from such plants,” the minister stressed.

Speaking on the occasion, Bheemunipatnam MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao appealed to the plant managements to modernise the plant. He urged that the waste management plant should be seen not only as a source of wealth generation but also as a social responsibility. GVMC commissioner P Sampath Kumar, TDP leaders Peela Srinivas, Korada Rajababu along with other officials accompanied the minister.