Denizens and corporators discussed various civic issues over a cup of coffee at an innovative interactive session organised by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation at Skill Development Centre in the city on Wednesday.
The ‘Coffee with Corporators’ programme served as a platform for ward representatives to highlight long-term civic issues plaguing various wards. Thirteen corporators from Zone I and II and residents from these areas were invited to the interactive session where they discussed about issues and offered possible solutions.
While the corporators from Bheemili spoke about the lack of basic amenities in the colonies despite integrating the wards with the GVMC, corporators from Arilova complained about the rampant rise in peddling of drugs and ganja in their localities.
Ward 4 corporator D. Yedukondala Rao said that residents of his ward agreed to the merger of the villages with the GVMC only after the civic body had promised to provide all amenities. “But till now, our colonies have not witnessed any development,” he alleged. “A number of roads in Chepuluppada, K. Nagarapalem and Nerelevalasa are in dire need of attention. While there is already a shortage of street lights, even the existing ones were damaged in cyclones over the years. Many areas lack proper drainage connectivity and drinking water supply,” Mr. Yedukondala Rao said.
The corporator said that there is not a single park in the area despite the ward having close to 40 green spaces that can be used for the purpose. He also complained that several villages close to the coast do not have a proper burial ground.
Along with Mr. Yedukondala Rao, corporators from Bheemili also flagged the drinking water issue.
Ward 2 corporator G. Chinni Kumari Lakshmi said that the water being released from the Gosthani is barely able to meet the drinking water needs of the people in areas like Bheemili and Tagarapuvalasa during the summer. She requested the GVMC to lay pipelines quickly so that residents would be spared any difficulty in the coming summer. She also alleged that in some cases, water which is being supplied to the residents is not treated.
Ward 1 corporator A. Padma complained about the unauthorised digging of borewells by many people leading to water scarcity in the ward. She added that instead of the GVMC spending huge amounts of money by sending water tankers, the corporation could think of coming up with a permanent plan to address the issue.
Ward 12 corporator A. Rohini said that use of ganja is on the rise, and complained that miscreants are creating an unsafe atmosphere for women at night in some colonies. “This has been an issue for a long time. In some colonies, we have come to know that some people are even cultivating ganja plants at home,” Ms. Rohini said.
Corporator from Ward 13, K. Sunitha, also complained about the drug menace in Arilova as well as some other pressing civic issues. Both the corporators spoke over the issues being faced by residents in the hillock areas.
M. Priyanka, a corporator from Ward 6, requested the GVMC to construct a foot- overbridge near Chandrampalem for the benefit of students and pedestrians. She also complained that many people were unable to utilise welfare schemes being implemented by the State government as the applications were being delayed at ward sachivalayams.
Several corporators asked GVMC Commissioner G. Lakshmisha to conduct surprise checks at Sachivalayams in order to inspect their functioning. They alleged that the Sachivalayam staff were behaving rudely with the public.
Mr. Lakshmisha said that the issues raised at the session would be listed down and a timeline formed to resolve them based on the priority. Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari and heads of all departments also attended the programme.
