The municipal council on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over the execution of the ongoing Storm Water Drain (SWD) project in the city.
Participating in the council meeting, members of both TDP and the YSRCP complained about the slow pace of work in several areas.
Mayor K. Sreedhar said that though the civic body asked the contractor to start work only in 10 divisions, he took it up in 26 divisions, causing inconvenience to the residents. Of the 480 km, works are under way on a 118-km stretch, Mr. Sreedhar said.
Motorists’ woes
Gade Adilakshmi of the CPI(M) raised the issue and M. Venkateswara Rao (TDP) said motorists in many areas were being put to untold hardship. He suggested that the contractor be replaced by someone who could effectively execute the project.
YSRCP floor leader B. Punyaseela stressed the need for VMC to follow up the project on a daily basis though it is monitored by the Public Health Department.
Municipal Commissioner J. Nivas said that regular review and coordination meetings were being organised with all the stakeholders. The council once again witnessed protests over the Special Category Status issue.
The proposal by TDP leader and Deputy Mayor Gogula Venkataramana to pass a resolution against the Centre drew the ire of opposition leaders. The YSRCP floor leader and other corporators, who blamed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for the situation, tried to establish the same by showing newspaper clippings to council chairman K. Sreedhar. They also raised slogans against the CM.
Irked by the protest, Mr. Sreedhar suspended T. Jammala Purnamma and Sk. Beejanbi of the YSRCP. The two were taken out of the council hall forcibly as the other members entered into an argument with the Mayor. YSRCP corporators trooped out of the hall and staged protests against the suspension.
