CPM slams Andhra Pradesh government for passage of Municipal Bill sans discussion

Vijayawada: Taking strong exception to the passage of the Municipal Bill in the Legislative Assembly by voice vote without any discussion, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that Minister for Municipal Administration Botcha Satyanarayana misled the legislature and the people of the State with outright lies on the contents of the Bill.

The CPM activists burned the copies of the Bill and the government order. Addressing the activists who staged dharna at various places in the city on Wednesday, CPM executive member Ch Babu Rao said that it was shameful on the part of the Assembly for passing such a Bill which would burden people with heavy taxes. He said that the Assembly did not take the people's wishes into consideration in the Municipal Amendment Bill.

Bowing to the pressure from the Centre the State government bent on passing the bill causing immense damage to the people's interests. Babu Rao said that it was blatant lie that the Bill envisages only 15 per cent of the tax would be enhanced. "It was not mentioned either in the Bill but only in the GO."

As per the amendment, the property tax would be enhanced every year and within five years, the tax would be doubled. After the Municipal elections, the government would remove the 15 per cent ceiling in the GO and implement the value of the property to enhance tax.

Moreover, the amendment would also allow the government to enhance charges on drinking water, drainage and sanitation. It is gross unjust on the part of the government to burden people at a time when they are facing financial problems due to the Corona pandemic.

While the neighbouring State Telangana is providing 50 per cent discount on the property tax, the State government intended to enhance it which highly deplorable.

It is another great deceit that the tax on the houses with less than 375sqft plinth would be Rs 50 only. Already there is an enactment which allows the government to charge only Rs 2 for six months for the houses built by the government and it is not being implemented.

He ridiculed the protest of the TDP in the Assembly while it had supported the Bills brought in by the NDA government in Parliament.

Donepudi Kasinath, B Nageswara Rao, B Satya Babu, B Ramana Rao, K Durga Rao, Adilakshmi and others participated.