VIJAYAWADA: The Tax Payers’ Association (TPA) has found fault with the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) decision to take a loan of `100 crore from banks to complete the JNNURM housing’s pending works in Ajit Singh Nagar for construction of houses for Devinagar Karakatta and homeless poor. The association’s secretary M V Anjaneyulu lashed out at the State government for asking the civic body to take loan of `100 crore. He said that instead the state Government should release funds for housing projects.
In a press conference held on Friday, TPA secretary M V Anjaneyulu said the association attacked the State government for escaping its responsibility of constructing houses for poor. He further criticized the TDP government for directing municipal bodies to borrow money from banks. He also added that the TDP government did not build even a single house in Vijayawada in its three-year regime. “VMC is facing a huge financial crunch and is now going to borrow `100 crore to complete the JNNURM’s pending works on housing. If the debt increased, obviously the civic body will increase property tax, water tax and drainage, among others, burdening the common people,” he said.
He further said that instead of giving financial assistance to the civic body, the State government had asked the VMC to borrow `100 crore to complete the pending works. TPA president V Sambi Reddy said that construction of houses is the responsibility of the state and central governments and VMC should look over sanitation, construction of roads, bridges, providing street lighting and supply of drinking water to its citizens.
“Though it is not the responsibility on part of VMC to construct houses, it is going to borrow loans from banks which in turn will become a burden on tax payers. The government should release the fund to complete the pending housing works in Ajit Singh Nagar area,” he said. Members also warned that they will unite all people’s associations and opposition parties if VMC took loans from banks.
POINT OF VIEW
The association’s secretary M V Anjaneyulu lashed out at the State government for asking the civic body to take loan of J100 crore. He said that instead the state Government should release funds for housing projects