Even as the Anantapur Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been on its toes to check the spread on the coronavirus almost across the year, it has laid focus on the works pertaining to civic issues.
Since the last two months, the civic body has been laid focus on the revamp of major thoroughfares, removal of unauthorised encroachments, repairing the potholes on roads that were withered due to the incessant rains during the monsoon season this year.
“The works are likely to be completed in the next two months and this will remain the best achievement of the AMC this fiscal year,” Municipal Commissioner P.V.V.S. Murthy told The Hindu.
He said the money for these works are being drawn from the 14th Finance Commission and the civic works is a welcome change after having completely immersed in the pandemic-related activity for the past eight months with regard to sanitation or disposing of bodies of close to 300 victims of the virus.
“The pandemic kept us busy almost throughout the year, consuming most of our energies. However, we needed to focus on development activity too, thanks to the active support from Anantapur Urban MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy,” said Mr. Murthy.
He said the the newly recruited ground-level staff of ward secretariats were the strength of the AMC as they had been the eyes and ears of the civic body when it came to assessment of the ground reality.
“The AMC is spending ₹70 crore to revamp the stretches from the bus stand to Gooty Road, NTR Marg between the bus stand and Tadipatri approach road. The Roads and Buildings National Highways Division is widening and black-topping the connecting Gooty Road from the NH-44. Once the works are completed, it will ensure hassles-free flow of heavy vehicles passing through the city,” he said the Municipal Commissioner.
The second major circuit will be from the Super Speciality Hospital to the RTO office from both sides, providing a circular road, which has been pending for almost a decade. The current cutcha road in several stretches are riddled with potholes and puddles. “With the release of ₹5 crore from the 14th Finance Commission funds, things are moving very fast,” he said.
Tax collection
Referring to the tax collection, AMC Deputy Commissioner G. Ramana Reddy said that of the target of ₹44.49 crore set for annual property tax and vacant land tax this fiscal year, ₹33.37 crore was to be realised by December 31.
“However, tax compliance remains at 57.9% (₹19.33 crore) owing to the financial problems caused by the pandemic. However, the figure is better than that of last fiscal (₹15.11 crore) against the target of ₹43.29 crore. Total water cess target for the current fiscal is ₹16.45 crore including the arrears, of which the AMC has realised ₹3.16 crore, falling short in performance when compared to ₹3.30 crore collected last year,” said Mr. Ramana Reddy.
About 200 open plots owned by the AMC will be secured from encroachment by March 31, 2021. Some automobile shops will be shifted to Rapthadu to decongest the city roads, a proposal that was discussed with 200 shop owners and agreed upon. Vending zones will be created under Ramnagar flyover and at other places to accommodate the vendors who are running their business on the streets, causing traffic congestion.
Collection of garbage
Another major achievement is introduction of door-to-door collection of garbage and 5,000 households beginning composting kitchen waste. A target has been set up to increase the number to 30,000 households by the March-end.
