'Municipality looting public by imposing huge water tax'

Jammalamadugu (Kadapa): Demanding the municipal officials to roll back the water tax hike, Telugu Desam Party leaders led by former Minister P Ramasubba Reddy held a rally from the Party office to Old Bus stand here on Saturday. After organising a dharna there, they submitted a memorandum to RDO Administrative Officer Subbaramaiah. Speaking on the occasion, Ramasubba Reddy alleged the municipal officers are collecting exorbitant water tax from the public. Only Rs 100 is being collected in Grade I Proddatur Municipality whereas here they are collecting Rs 150, he pointed out. It is not right to threaten the public of disconnecting tap connection if they fail to pay the tax, he observed. The former Minister said even though the officials are saying that there are 4,450 tap connections in the town but in fact there are 15,000 connections. Alleging that about 10,000 connections have been given to former Municipal Vice-chairperson Suryanarayana Reddy's followers, he suggested tax will automatically decrease if all these illegal connections are removed. TDP leaders Muralidhar Reddy, Vemanarayana Reddy, Ramana Reddy, Purushottam Das, Mullah Johny, Santosh and several others took part in the protest.