Heated arguments between ruling party and Opposition parties at council meeting

Visakhapatnam: Heated arguments were exchanged between the ruling party and Opposition members in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation’s council meeting held in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

The opposition parties, which differed with the ruling party on various issues, picked up arguments and were involved in jostling.

The main discussion was centred on the issue of TDR (transferrable development rights) bonds given to the residents as part of the road expansion works taken up in various zones within GVMC jurisdiction. The Opposition leaders raised objection to the demolition of structures in the garb of road expansion without providing any compensation to the residents who lost their properties.

Some of the YSRCP corporators also expressed the same opinion regarding TDR bonds. They demanded that road widening works should be undertaken only after providing compensation in future.

Earlier, the Jana Sena corporators in the council objected to the manner in which police blocked the protest of the JSP at Siripuram.

Heated arguments witnessed between the ruling party and JSP and TDP as the Opposition party members alleged the GVMC officials were taking decisions in favour of the ruling party leaders. Even in terms of development of wards, they pointed out that the corporation is being partial to them.

Meanwhile, another controversy erupted when the TDP members objected that development work was being done in their wards without any intimation to respective ward corporators.

This led to a war of words between TDP corporator Gandham Srinivasa Rao and YSRCP corporator Bipin Kumar Jain. The arguing members were divided into two groups and indulged in pushing each other at the meeting. Following which, Mayor Golagani Hari Venkata Kumari adjourned the council.