Vijayawada Municipal Corporation to protect valuable lands

Vijayawada: The Council meeting of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has decided to protect the corporation lands and other assets. The members also raised objections towards allotment of lands by the State government without consulting the local body.

Besides, Mayor Koneru Sridhar and corporators took strong objections to the attitude of officials that they were not submitting the proper information to Council though they asked questions several months ago.

The mayor lambasted the officials including the commissioner and raised several issues and faults of the officials. Similarly, the Council criticised the officials for not collecting taxes properly and laying roads without proper assessment.

CPM member Gade Adilakshmi raised the question about the allotment of lands to various private and government organisations. Stating that the local body management failed to protect valuable lands, she wondered how the officials took decision to allot land worth Rs 117 crore to private companies for a nominal amount. Adilakshmi said the officials did not give any information about shifting of vegetables and flowers market.

TDP corporator G Mahesh also questioned the officials how the 1,052 square yards site at the posh location of Brundavan colony was allotted to one spiritual organisation.

He recalled that the Council passed a resolution against the allotment and requested the mayor and commissioner to take appropriate action towards protection of land. He said the several government organisations also got the corporation lands for their official use without giving any compensation.

TDP corporator Chennuapati Gandhi said that he brought the land allotment issue in favour of private organisations directly through the officials to the notice of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

He said Naidu assured him on the protection of land in Brundavan colony and added the officials were not sanctioning roads though they requested several times. He asked the commissioner to allot some important roads to all the corporators before the forthcoming elections.

MAYOR LAMBASTES OFFICIALS
Meanwhile, Mayor Koneru Sridhar lambasted the officials for their gross negligence in giving information to the Council members. He said the members had asked the land allotment details officially to discuss in the Council meeting. But the officials did not give the details. The mayor said that he also asked the information three months ago personally, but the officials remained silent.

Stating the members were elected constitutionally for the council, he said the members including him came to the council with required qualifications. The Mayor asked the officials, “Do you mean the members are moving on streets without any job while coming to the council. I am in the Council for the last 20 years. I never faced this kind of situation.”

He instructed the officials to give all the information about land allotments and leases to the members by the next Council meeting and added the Commissioner was also responsible for the whole situation.

The officials at least were not doing their duties especially in tax collection, he regretted and said that nearly, 2,000 owners of buildings and lands those are in Rs 50,000 above tax category were not approached by any corporation official for tax collection. He pointed out that how the officials were neglecting the tax collection when the corporation was in financial crisis.

The mayor that he was yet to meet various commercial organisations and college managements for tax collection and added the roads in the city were being covered with layer over layer without any requirement which is nothing but misuse of funds. He found fault with the officials of Engineering department for the situation.

Tax collection paid by previous govt
Mayor Koneru Sridhar said that taxes were increased across the state by previous government in 2013. But the officials were not explaining the facts to people or Opposition parties, he said. The recent taxes review forced the local body to implement the previous government orders, he said and added that the staff should have explained the facts and added the government did not increase taxes a single paisa at present.

Commissioner too requests to protect lands
Interestingly, Commissioner J Nivas also requested the Mayor and the Council members to take steps for protection of lands. He said that the corporation has still several valuable lands in the city limits.

The Cabinet has taken decision allotting land to various organisations without Council permission, he said. He asked the members to finalise plans to construct shopping complexes and other buildings in the land before they were taken over by others. YSR Congress member Punyaseela and several members of two parties raised several issues.