The Tax Payers Association (TPA) has demanded the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) to roll back the hike in water charges immediately.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Association president V. Sambi Reddy said that the Corporation has hiked the charges vis a vis property tax. The VMC has linked the water charges with the property tax with a view that the charges would go up automatically as and when the property tax was revised. In fact, the water supply would not change according to property tax paid.
The Corporation has been claiming that there is a gap between expenditure incurred and receipts on water supply. The government should bear the gap as it was earmarking allocations for water supply and sanitation in the state. The government should release some funds to the city for water supply and sanitation. The VMC needs to clear air on funds received by it, he said, adding, a thorough discussion in this regard was necessary. TPA secretary M. V.Anjaneyulu also spoke.