VIJAYAWADA: Tension prevailed during the council meeting of the Vijayawada municipal corporation on Thursday over the proposed garbage collection charges, with mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi suspending TDP and CPM corporators for obstructing the meeting.
As the war of words between YSRC floor leader Venkata Satyanarayana and TDP corporators turned intense, opposition party corporators tried to block the mayor’s podium.
Though Bhagya Lakshmi announced that a special council meeting will be held on Monday to discuss GO No.198 issued by the state government on the new system of property tax and user charges on garbage, Left parties and TDP continued to block the council hall.
Despite the police detaining several CPI and CPM workers, many of them still managed to reach the VMC office and started raising slogans against the government. Police later arrested several activists and shifted them to various police stations in and around the city.
Meanwhile, the municipal council approved a few key resolutions despite the protests by opposition parties. Right from the start of the session, CPM and TDP corporators demanded the council to pass a resolution rejecting the GO No. 198. They alleged that the YSRCP government, which is publicising its welfare schemes, is adding a huge burden on denizens in the name of user charges and taxes.
As the arguments between opposition and ruling party corporators became intense, the mayor suspended all opposition corporators and adjourned the house for 10 minutes.
