Charges on garbage collection rocks VMC council meeting

Opposition corporator stage protest, arrested
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Opposition corporator stage protest, arrested

Highlights

The ruling party and opposition party corporators engaged in heated arguments as the ruling party corporators argued in support of the user charges and the Opposition party protested over it

Vijayawada: The issue of user charges on garbage collection rocked the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation council meeting with the protests of Opposition Telugu Desam and CPM corporators, who demanded the government to withdraw GO 198.

The VMC witnessed high drama on Thursday as the ruling party and opposition party corporators engaged in heated arguments as the ruling party corporators argued in support of the user charges and the Opposition party protested over it. The opposition corporators demanded the withdrawal of GO 198 aims at collecting the user charges on garbage collection.

The TDP has 14 councillors and CPM one. With the Opposition parties continue protests, the Mayor suspended the TDP and CPM corporators from the council meeting which was chaired by Mayor R Bhagyalakshmi.

Later, the corporators were arrested and sent to Governorpet police station. The opposition corporators were released from the station around 6.30. The ruling YSRCP corporators discussed various subjects and gave nod to various proposals.

Scores of policemen were deployed in and around the VMC office. The city police detained the CPM and TDP leaders in the city since Wednesday night. The CPM state leader Ch Baburao and other leaders were put on house arrest. The CPM lone corporator B Satyababu has alleged that the council gave the nod for user charges in undemocratic manner. Satyababu has strongly condemned the arrest of TDP and CPM corporators by the police. The TDP corporators staged a protest at the Governorpet police station condemning the decision of the VMC for suspension and arrest.

As per the orders of the State government, the VMC already have started collecting the user charges in six municipal divisions. The opposition parties are alleging that the civic body is collecting the user charges without approval of the elected body of municipal corporators. The VMC convened a special council meeting on Thursday to give nod to the collection of user charges in the city. The council decided to convene a special meeting on July 19 to discuss the property tax issue. The government issued orders to collect the property tax based on the property value. The opposition parties and denizens are vehemently opposing the decision of the VMC and the State government.

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