VIJAYAWADA: Mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi has instructed Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner HM Dhyanchand to form a committee to investigate allegations of undue cost escalation for the new VMC office building.
During the VMC council meeting on Wednesday, the Mayor acknowledged the concerns raised about the increasing costs of the new VMC building and stated that the issue should be thoroughly examined. TDP Floor Leader Nellibandla Balaswamy initiated the discussion by questioning the quality of the ongoing construction and highlighting the unexpected inflation in the budget. His demand for a detailed review of the cost increases gained support from other council members, resulting in a call for a fact-finding committee.
TDP members expressed dissatisfaction with the recent decisions regarding the new building’s contract allocations, pointing out that the revised estimates for the construction were significantly higher than the original figures. According to them, the adjustments are reportedly three times more than initially projected.
Although 120 issues were on the agenda, discussions proceeded slowly, and key issues were left out. Among the few topics discussed was YSRC Corporator Bandi Punyaseela’s controversial proposal to relocate the Kedareswara Peta fruit market to Nunna Mango Market, which sparked debate over potential traffic and pollution concerns.
The Council also addressed the issue of stray dogs, with members from all parties expressing frustration over the ineffectiveness of sterilisation drives. Additionally, the sharp decline in VMC’s advertisement revenues from Rs 26 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 16 crore in 2023-24 raised alarms among the members.
Concerns were also raised over the shortage of sanitation workers, with demands for immediate recruitment to maintain city cleanliness. TDP member Mummaneni Prasad urged the Council to prevent the privatisation of the Dandamudi Rajagopala Rao Municipal Corporation Indoor Stadium, advocating for VMC to retain control over the facility.