VMC council passes resolution to cancel garbage cess collection in Vijayawada
The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation has passed a resolution to withdraw the garbage cess for collection of garbage from households and commercial establishments under the civic body jurisdictions.
This was supported by the corporation’s ruling YSRC and the opposition TD and CPI(M) corporators. The council approved the resolution moved by CPM floor leader and 50th ward corporator Boya Satya Babu.
Moments after the VMC council meeting began on Monday morning, a verbal fight erupted between TD and YSRC corporators over several civic issues. This prompted VMC Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi to adjourn the meeting for ten minutes.
The issue arose between the TD and YSRC corporators over denying entry to scribes inside the media gallery to cover the council meeting. TD corporators raised slogans demanding that the mayor allow the media inside. Following some arguments, the media was allowed inside the meeting hall.
The meeting witnessed stormy scenes as corporators cutting across party lines criticised VMC officials over their inability to address various civic issues. The references were to the incomplete UGD lines in different wards, supply of polluted drinking water, laying of CC roads and municipal workers shortage and carrying out repair works to the garbage collection vehicles in the wards.
The council adopted a resolution to press into action an additional workforce on a war footing and address the prevailing manpower shortage in the sanitation department. It also adopted a resolution enhancing the annual ward budget allocated to the corporators from `30 lakh to `50 lakh.
A majority of the council members belonging to the ruling YSRC and opposition TD and CPI(M) attended the council meeting. The newly elected city legislators did not attend the meeting.
