With the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directing the Municipal Administration Department authorities to make way for the merger of 45 suburb villages into the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), the dream of the civic body of increasing its revenue is likely to come true.
It was the VMC led by Mayor Koneru Sridhar which proposed the merger of the nearby villages which have been the most chosen destinations for realtors to build apartments and lay vast residential property ventures that are worth crores of rupees.
The merger of the villages like Kanuru, Gollapudi, Enikepadu that already has numerous apartments will make the civic body richer as the income through property taxes and vacant land tax goes up. But providing civic amenities in these localities is a Herculean task for the civic body.
“In the surrounding areas of the city, apartments are being built without any layouts and the government is losing tax. Once merged, the civic body can earn revenue. Most importantly, the city will grow and the development in surrounding villages will be streamlined ,” Mayor Koneru Sridhar told The Hindu .
“The number of villages to be merged may not be precisely 45 and the priority will be on merging of surrounding villages by the end of next month after State Cabinet’s approval,” he said. About alleged resistance from Sarpanches, Mr. Sridhar said that they have only one more year and will be invited as special members of the civic council after the merger.
The State government has long ago issued a GO declaring 19 villages, including Ramavarappadu, Prasadampadu, Enikepadu, Nidamanuru, Done Atkuru, Gudavalli, Kesarapalli, Buddavaram, Gannavaram, Kanuru, Poranki, Tadigadapa, Yanamalakuduru, Penamaluru, Gollapudi, Jakkampudi, Nunna, Patapadu and Ambapuram under Vijayawada Metropolitan area in March this year.
The biggest challenge that would be faced by the civic body is providing basic amenities like sanitation and drinking water. The cash-strapped civic body has already been facing criticism for failing to maintain sanitation, despite open defecation-free (ODF) claims. Moreover, there is an acute shortage of staff in all wings. “All necessary arrangements will be made by the State government once it approves the merger of the villages,” the Mayor said.
CPI(M) senior leader Ch. Babu Rao reminded that the civic body should be able to provide all services properly in the city. “Sanitation and basic infrastructure must be improved in the city by engaging enough number of workers. Also, the government should provide sufficient funds,” he said.
