VIJAYAWADA: The two-day council meeting of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has been of no use as the mayor had not come up with any strategy to overcome the financial crisis being faced by the civic body. “Instead of coming up with an action plan, the mayor just kept repeating that the VMC is in financial crisis because of the erstwhile Congress government,” CPM city secretary Ch Babu Rao said.
He also alleged that the governing body at the municipal council is using this financial crisis as a means to impose further hikes. “The mayor is not concerned about the arrears in the funds, which the Central and state governments should grant. Even though chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is aware of the pathetic situation of the VMC, he is not talking about the special grant to the corporation.”
Deferment of important issues like decreasing water and drainage charges to the next council and citing non-availability of information shows the incompetence of council heads. “They are cheating the people. The charges have been hiked by 400 per cent. How can they refer to the officials saying they do not have information,” he questioned.
He reminded the Telugu Desam corporators, who blamed the Congress for the downfall of the civic body, that the TDP had supported the proposal of JNNURM projects. “The TDP is now shifting the blame on to the Congress and forgot that they had supported the Congress in approving the disastrous JNNURM proposal in 2005.”
He also found fault with the council’s decision to extend the contract with M/S Real Energy, which agreed to set up ‘smart’ streetlights in the city, by three months. “The TDP also seems to be following the footsteps of the Congress. However, we will mount pressure on the governing council and ensure that they develop the city,” Babu Rao told mediamen here Friday.