Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) floor leader in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) B. Ganga Rao, and his Communist Party of India (CPI) counterpart A.J. Stalin, on Thursday lashed out at the YSR Congress Party corporators for ‘failing to resolve issues faced by citizens and not developing the wards in the city in the past year’.
“Forgetting the promises made to the public ahead of the municipal elections, the YSRCP council members are busy bringing in new taxes to burden the people,” the duo alleged. The Left party leaders were addressing a press conference on the eve of the first anniversary of the GVMC Council, on Thursday.
Mr. Ganga Rao and Mr. Stalin said that after being elected as corporators, the council members have approved property tax and user charges for garbage collection on people who were already burdened by steep inflation. They criticised the YSRCP council members for approving the mortgage of valuable properties including Indira Priyadarshini Stadium and alleged that the council has pushed GVMC into a debt trap.
The leaders questioned the claims made by the civic body that development works worth ₹107 crore have been taken up under the corporation limits in the past year. “The YSRCP should come forward for an open discussion and show what development works they have taken up in the wards. The GVMC has even failed to tackle the mosquito menace, or curb the population of stray dogs and pigs. The city roads are in a terrible shape and the council has failed to even repair the damaged ones, let alone lay new ones,” Mr. Ganga Rao alleged.
