VIJAYAWADA: Demanding that the State government scrap the GOs 5 and 6 issued as part of coordinated growth policy, the Automobile Technicians Association and its allied organisations took out a rally and observed a bandh at Jawahar Autonagar and Kanuru Industrial Area on Thursday.
Automobiles Technical Association president R Venkata Ramana Rao said that a few days ago, the State government rolled out the ‘Coordinated Growth Policy’ for converting industrial areas in Auto Nagars and APIIC industrial estates into residential and commercial plots. Earlier, in many cities Autonagar was located in the suburbs, but now due to the rise in population, they are now located in the heart of the city.
Steps should be taken by the government to withdraw the GOs for converting the industrial areas in cities into commercial plots, he demanded. Rao further said that in case the Auto Nagar is converted as a commercial plot, the traders have to pay 50 per cent taxes to the government.
He also made it clear that they purchased the lands in the AutoNagar many years ago and didn’t get it for free. Andhra Pradesh Lorry Owners Association (APLOA) general secretary YV Eswara Rao said that around one lakh people’s livelihood depended on the Autonagar in Vijayawada and it’s crucial for the development of the transport sector.
When it comes to the Jawahar Autonagar, one of the biggest in Asia, how can the government convert the industrial area into commercial plots? Rao asked. The traders and small-scale industries have to pay 50 per cent taxes to the government, which is a huge burden for them, he pointed out.