Protests, arguments rock GVMC council meeting

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) assembly gathering connected Friday (November 21) was marked by aggravated protests implicit the projected privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), the program to found a cement grinding portion astatine Pedagantyada nether the Gajuwaka limits and protocol violations.

Before the gathering began, corporators from the CPI, CPI(M) and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) opposing the cement portion staged a protestation successful beforehand of the GVMC office, demanding that the assembly members walk a solution withdrawing the connection to found the cement grinding unit. The protesters questioned the thought of establishing a cement grinding portion beside residential areas.

Deputy Mayor (JSP) D. Govinda Reddy noted that each NDA leaders, including TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao, had already said that they would respect nationalist sentiment connected the contented and convey it to the State government. He besides took a excavation astatine the YSRCP, questioning: “Where were the YSRCP leaders erstwhile locals and NGOs were protesting against the projected unit?”

Heated words were exchanged betwixt the corporators of the YSRCP and the NDA implicit a protocol-related matter. YSRCP members alleged that respective improvement works successful their wards were sanctioned by the GVMC lone aft repeated requests from the corporators. However, the docket listed these proposals arsenic suggestions made by section MLAs. The YSRCP questioned whether the GVMC was functioning arsenic a municipal corp oregon a Legislative Assembly.

Some YSRCP corporators further alleged that the GVMC attempted to behaviour instauration chromatic laying ceremonies with the MLAs astatine a clip erstwhile the corporators were distant connected a survey tour. They claimed that the GVMC was giving the recognition of corporators’ efforts to the MLAs.

Mayor Peela, however, clarified that the proposals were added based connected caller representations made by MLAs. Several NDA corporators criticised the YSRCP, stating that during the YSRCP government, proposals were introduced based connected representations from YSRCP leaders and enactment in-charges, who were not adjacent elected representatives.

Meanwhile, corporators from the YSRCP staged a sit-in earlier the Mayor’s podium for a while, alleging that the NDA was failing to support VSP from privatisation. They besides demanded an apology from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu implicit his caller comments connected VSP protestors and workers.