Tension prevails at Govt polytechnic college

Vijayawada: Tension prevailed at the Government Polytechnic College here on Thursday when the Municipal Corporation authorities tried to enforce the collection of property tax dues pending for the last 17 years from the college.

The authorities said that they have been trying to collect the dues and served several notices to the college principal. As there had been no response from the college authorities, they were compelled to act, the authorities said. They said that they seized the college principal room for not paying the property tax dues of about Rs 6.3 crore.

The teachers, staff and the students were shocked by the step taken by the civic officials. The students staged a protest on the college premises and demanded the municipal officers and the police to go back.

Later the issue was subsided with the interference of the local corporator Jasti Sambasiva Rao. About 1,500 students including 368 girl students of the college were present.The corporator broke open the seized principal’s room and later informed the same to local MLA and the MLC. After some time, the officers led by the assistant commissioner Nagakumari left the college premises.

A few students pursuing diploma in the college demanded the government to clear the pending bills to Municipal Corporation and solve the problems with immediate effect failing which they would intensify the protest with the cooperation of student unions.

Revenue Inspector V Prabhavati said that about Rs 6.3 crore tax dues were pending from the college and they have been issuing several notices in the past. When their efforts to collect the tax failed, they came to seize the principal room, she said.