It was a formal meeting of sorts for the newly elected Mayors in the State to focus on their new responsibility as the first flush of excitement over their win gives way to their responsibilities and how best to address the issues of their constituents.
Telangana’s First State Finance Commission (SFC), which is in the process of finalising its recommendations to the State government on the devolution of funds to the local bodies based on their needs and to strengthen them, invited the newly elected Mayors to spell out the major issues in their corporations and requirements of funds.
Many municipal corporations are newly upgraded ones from the erstwhile municipalities with some gram panchayats merged into them and are in dire need of roads, drainage, garbage disposal mechanisms, said Mayors bringing the problems also to the notice of Member Chennaiah and Ms. Pankaja, Regional Director, Municipal Administration, who attended the meeting.
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SFC Chairman G. Rajesham Goud explained that while the Finance Commission would do its job in forwarding recommendations to the State government, he had quite a few suggestions for the Mayors.
They should make a mark with innovative ideas to mobilise resources to be self-sufficient and streamline collection of existing taxes. More importantly their role in taking forward State government’s programmes on improving literacy through ‘Each one teach one’, greenery and sanitation through segregation of garbage and recycling of dry waste. These programmes would go a long way in improving quality of life for people, he said.
His advice to Mayors was: First fix the lacunae in your corporations in collecting taxes, getting funds due from departments, check unauthorised layouts for planned growth and monitor the functioning of line departments in your corporations for better education, health, roads, welfare schemes.
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‘Willing to pay taxes’
Bodangpet Mayor Parijatha Narasimha Reddy served as sarpanch for five years and worked as a trainer for sarpanches, says: People are willingly to pay taxes if their money is spent on development. Tackling drinking water problem is her priority as also drainage and prevention of mosquito menace.
Mr. Mahender Goud, Mayor of Bandlaguda Jagir, said it became a municipal corporation directly from a gram panchayat. The corporation with over 300 colonies has several problems with drinking water being a major problem.
He sought start up grant for new corporations for taking up basic development activity, including construction of a proper office for the corporation. As the two tanks in the corporation are polluted with domestic sewage, his priority would be for proper drainage and sewage system to improve sanitation.
Nizampet Mayor Neela Reddy sought founds for roads, street lights, drainage system, dumpyard, and take over problematic government lands and develop them into parks in the corporation with high density of population. She says her focus will be on streamlining tax collection.