KURNOOL: Chaos reigned supreme as the second general body council meeting of the Kurnool Municipal Corporation (KMC) passed 31 resolutions, including the ones for increasing property tax and collecting user charges for garbage clearance.
The police arrested around 100 activists and leaders of Opposition parties, including BJP, CPI and CPM, near the dump yard and KMC office when they staged protests against the proposals to increase property tax and collect user charges for garbage clearance stating that it would add to the burden of people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resolution related to municipal schools, which need the assent of Kurnool and Panyam MLAs, was not passed. The KMC council meeting was held at a landfill amid tight security here on Thursday. It may be recalled that the KMC had changed the venue from the corporation hall to the dump yard “to educate the new councilors on the waste management system.”
The TDP councilors boycotted the meeting for 30 minutes when the property tax and user charge proposals were passed. They demanded that the State government withdraw the GOs 196, 197 and 198. Earlier, about 30 local leaders of Opposition parties, who tried to take out ‘Chalo Dump Yard’ before the council meeting started, were kept under house arrest.
The KMC has 52 elected councilors out of which eight belong to the TDP, while the remaining councilors are from the YSRC. The KMC council meeting, presided over by Mayor BY Ramaiah, discussed various issues such as drinking water supply, sanitation, roads and the like. KMC commissioner DK Balaji was also present.
Later, the Mayor expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the meeting. The council passed several resolutions will help develop Kurnool as a model city, the Mayor said. “We will solve drinking water, sanitation and clean and green and traffic issues. We are planning to plant 50,000 saplings on a single day next week,” he informed.
100 arrested
Police arrested 100 activists and leaders of BJP, CPI and CPM near the dump yard when they staged protests against increase in property tax and plan to collect user charge for waste collection.