Corporators return gift coupons to GVMC
Visakhapatnam: A section of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) corporators have returned a bunch of gift coupons presented to them while approving the 2026-2027 corporation budget.
They decided to give back the gift coupons as they felt that it was nothing but misuse of public funds.
Denying the gift coupons offered to them, three corporators, Peethala Murthy Yadav from 22nd ward, B Ganga Rao from the 78th ward, PV Suresh from the 60th ward, returned the gift coupons to the GVMC officials.
In the recently-concluded budget meeting organised by the civic body, JSP corporator Murthy Yadav raised a question whether any budget was allocated for the gift coupons or not. “Is there a provision for such allocation,” he asked.
Responding to it, Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao stated that it will be discussed later and not during the budget meeting.
“Instead of presenting gift coupons, the civic body could focus much on controlling pollution in the city and take up public-friendly measures,” Murthy Yadav opined. Sharing his views, Ganga Rao, stated, “By offering gift coupons, the GVMC is trying to indulge corporators in corrupt practices.”
However, misusing of public funds is not new for the GVMC.
Earlier, the corporation drew severe criticism for organising study tours to various places, spending crores of rupees.
Despite being fund-strapped, the corporation conducted annual study tours.
Last year, a delegation of corporators along with the GVMC Mayor paid a visit to Jaipur to study development initiatives, participate in heritage conservation and observe solid and liquid waste management along with citizen-centric governance.
Two years before, the study tour was scheduled to Coimbatore, Mysuru and Bengaluru.
In 2022 and the following year, the corporation organised study tours to Delhi, Shimla, Kullu Manali, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Srinagar, Agra and Jammu and Kashmir. While Rs.1.50 crore was spent for the purpose in 2022, the corporation shelled out Rs.1.80 crore the following year for the study trip.
In 2024, the fund for the trip exceeded Rs.2 crore.
Although such tours were organised annually in a meticulous manner, their outcomes or adoption of best practices, however, appear to be unseen.
