Councillors of the two new municipalities in the district should try to remove the impression that becoming municipalities would only increase tax burden without any proportionate qualitative change in the living conditions, Anakapalle MP Muttamsetti (Avanthi) Srinivasa Rao has said.
Inaugurating a two-day training session for vice-chairmen and ward-members of Narsipatnam and Elamanchili at the GVMC Zone III Office at Surya Baugh here on Monday, he quoted the example of few panchayats near Mahdurawada that saw no development after merger with Visakhapatnam corporation barring taxes going up. It took considerable time for him as MLA to rectify the imbalance, he told the new councillors.
Training will help them in understanding their rights and asserting them when MLAs or ministers visit their towns and shift the focus away from GVMC-centric development. On his part, he assured them of his co-operation with the help of Minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.
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Regional Joint Director of Municipal Administration P. Ashajyothi said there was a difference between the Panchayat and Municipal Acts and right from cradle to cremation municipalities deal with day-to-day lives of people. Following the instructions of the Chief Minister and the Municipal Administration Minister, the training for chairpersons was completed. Training for vice-chairmen and ward-members of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts was completed last week. This was the last round.
Narispatnam and Elamanchili chairpersons Ch. Anitha and P. Rama Kumari and Narsipatnam vice-chairman Ch. Sanyasi Patrudu, Superintendent Engineer (Public Health) Saratbabu and commissioners of Narsipatnam and Elamanchili Simhachalam and Srinivasa Rao participated.