Uproar erupts at VMC general council meeting

Vijayawada:The delay in extending flood assistance to victims affected by the recent Budameru floods in Vijayawada City, along with the exclusion of many victims from the beneficiaries' list, led to an uproar at the general council meeting of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC). Ruling NDA alliance corporators and opposition YSRC corporators engaged in a verbal spat over the issue on Friday.

The issue emerged during discussions on the council agenda at the general council meeting, presided over by VMC Mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi at the municipal corporation council hall. YSRC 17th ward corporator Tangirala Rami Reddy accused the state government of neglecting MSMEs that suffered heavy losses due to the Budameru floods. Following this, party co-option member Jammala Punnamma sharply criticised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s NDA government for failing to provide adequate aid to the flood victims and for publishing distorted figures on the assistance provided in the city.

Provoked by Punnamma’s criticism, TD corporators protested, with TD 13th ward corporator Mummineni Venkata Prasad allegedly making objectionable remarks about the YSRC’s women co-option member. This led to a ruckus as YSRC members moved a motion to suspend the TD corporator over his controversial remarks.

Taking strong exception to the TD corporator’s comments, Mayor and VMC council chairman Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi stated that the council would review the records and expunge the remarks if they were found to be objectionable. She further suspended TD corporator Mummineni Venkata Prasad from the council meeting.

As a result, the council meeting proceedings were disrupted for nearly 45 minutes before being adjourned for a lunch break, with council members from both the NDA and YSRC parties engaging in a war of words.

Additionally, the council passed several resolutions pertaining to the development of Vijayawada. One such resolution approved the sanction of Rs. 1.03 crore from the corporation’s general funds towards the salaries of sanitation workers for sanitation works at the Jakkampudi YSR Colony from November 1, 2024, to October 31, 2025. The same resolution also resolved to initiate steps to collect drainage, water, and municipal taxes from the settlements in Jakkampudi YSR Colony.