Kurnool: Stop collection of tax on garbage, says CPM

Kurnool: Tense situation once again prevailed at Kurnool Municipal Corporation with the leaders of Left parties and people in large numbers staged a protest on Friday demanding the government to stop collecting tax on garbage. The leaders' rising anti-government slogans said that the YSR Congress government was the only government in the country that is imposing tax on garbage collection. Never in the history has seen imposing tax on garbage collection, stated the leaders.

CPM state leader P Nirmala said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy prior to coming to power, has assured several things to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Instead of fulfilling the assurances, he is exerting more burdens on the people. She said that earlier the government used to impose tax depending on the rents. Now, it is imposing tax depending upon property value which is very unfair. She demanded the government to immediately ban imposing tax on garbage else they will intensify the stir which will result in hampering government activities.

After a while of protest, the leaders tried to barge into the office where a council meeting was going on. Mayor B V Ramaiah, Commissioner D K Balaji and MLAs of Kurnool and Panyam Hafeez Khan and Katasani Rambhupal Reddy were present to elect co-option members. The civic bodies aware of the protest have deployed a huge number of police forces to ensure that the protestors do not hamper the ongoing council meeting.

The police thwarted the attempt of Left party leaders to barge into the office and forcibly arrested and shifted them to the police station. While arresting and shifting the activists, an argument broke out between police and protesters. A tense situation prevailed for an hour but the police managed to bring the situation under control.

CPM leaders Rajasekhar, Ramudu, Pulla Reddy, Nagesh, Raghavendra, Hussain Basha, Imtiyaz and Muneer Desai were present.