Ruckus at GVMC meet over property tax hike proposal

Opposition corporators criticise issuance of draft notification without discussing it in the council; levying of user charges on garbage collection approved after voting

The second council meet of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) was a stormy affair with corporators staging protests, raising slogans, and staging walkouts against key issues like property tax hike and levying user charges for garbage collection. Amid stiff resistance from the Opposition parties, proposal to levy user charges for garbage collection was passed by the council through voting. Right from the beginning of the council meet, corporators from the Telugu Desam Party(TDP), Left parties and the Jana Sena Party demanded that the council conduct a discussion on the proposed property tax hike. They reached the Mayor’s podium with placards demanding immediate withdrawal of the proposal. The TDP corporators entered into a heated argument with the YSR Congress Party corporators and demanded a debate.